Lisa P Jackson, EPA Administrator.
Coalition of outdoor organizations is concerned with possible effects of Pebble Mine, which could dump up to 10 billion tons of toxic waste into of the Bristol Bay watershed.
WASHINGTON DC, US: A united coalition of fishing, hunting and sporting organizations from nearly every US state joined together to ask the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to use its authority to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska, from possible effects of the proposed Pebble Mine.
More than 360 organizations, ranging from fly fishing groups to big game hunters, signed a letter to EPA Administrator Lisa P Jackson, urging her to use the agency’s authority under the clean water act to protect Bristol Bay from large-scale mining and development. EPA took the first step, when the agency announced plans to assess the Bristol Bay watershed to better understand how future large-scale development projects may affect water quality and Bristol Bay’s salmon fishery.
During a press conference representatives of sporting organizations stressed the urgency of the situation. Bristol Bay generates roughly $ 450 million a year in economic impact and sustains about 12,000 jobs. Pebble Mine would create an open-pit mine up to two miles wide and 1,700 ft deep. Operated by multi-national mining interests, this mine could dump up to 10 billion tons of toxic waste into of the Bristol Bay watershed, the coalitions contends. In the letter to Jackson, the organizations thank EPA for the first step, but urge stronger action to protect Bristol Bay. EPA has the authority under the clean water act to invoke section 404(c), which would give Bristol Bay the protection it needs from mining.
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