Letters to the Editor

Letter: Senators must stop Pebble

I urge Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski to take action to stop the Pebble Mine permitting process. It is a flawed process and, after reviewing the “Pebble Tapes,” it’s clear that it’s a corrupt process at all levels of the federal and state government. Our senators have said the process has run its course, but if they allow it to proceed, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will move forward and approve the Clean Water Act Section 404 permit to allow Pebble to destroy more than 4,000 acres of high functioning wetlands and more than 100 miles of pristine streams that contribute to more than 40 million salmon returning to Bristol Bay, year after year. I ask them to please intervene now and do not allow the Army Corps to give Pebble an acceptable Record of Decision and authorization to a permit. They should tell the Environmental Protection Agency to use its authority to prohibit the issuance of Section 404 permit for the proposed Pebble Mine. 

Pebble’s Final Environmental Impact Statement underestimates the mine’s potential risks and impacts to the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery.  After I reviewed the environmental impact statement, I knew that it was filled with unqualified, subjective, and unsupported conclusions. If the 404 permit is approved the Bristol Bay region will certainly become a mining district far bigger than the so-called “small mine footprint” that Pebble lies to us about. Their intent is to mine the area for 200 years. I ask our senators to take action beyond emoticons, words on the radio and on Twitter, and stand up for the people of Alaska. They must do what they can to work to protect Bristol Bay forever and encourage the EPA to veto the permit.

Molly Welker

Anchorage

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