Photo courtesy of the EPA
September 17, 2013
By Ross Purnell, Editor
The Pebble Mine project isn't dead yet, but one of it's major financial backers has withdrawn from the project, most likely from the massive public opposition to the proposed gold mine in the headwaters of the world's most productive salmon fishery.
According to alaskadispatch.com : "Anglo American, one of the key backers of the controversial Pebble mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay region, announced Monday that it is withdrawing from the Pebble Partnership -- and will take a $300 million hit for doing so. The London-based Anglo American has a 50 percent share of the Pebble venture, with Northern Dynasty Minerals out of Vancouver, Canada controlling the other half. The company said that Northern Dynasty will assume sole responsibility for the project."
According to Tim Bristol, Trout Unlimited's Alaska Program Director, "nearly three in four Americans who commented on the EPA's draft Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment supported protecting Bristol Bay, Alaska from harmful mining development in the form of the Pebble Mine. Approximately 654,000 of the over 895,000 total comments supported the EPA's efforts to protect Bristol Bay, with numbers even higher among comments made by individuals (not mass mailed) and those coming from Alaska.
"The American people have spoken: they simply do not want the Pebble Mine built on top of one of the world's great sport and commercial fisheries," said Tim Bristol, Director of Trout Unlimited's Alaska Program. "The EPA should quickly finalize its Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and use its Clean Water Act authority to ensure the long term protection of Bristol Bay and its fishery. The science supports it, Alaskans support it, and hunters and anglers across the lower 48 support the EPA as well."
