Sep 11, 2014

USA & CANADA: Stop a mining company from poisoning the world’s largest salmon fishery

Stop the Pebble Mine
From: "Josh Nelson, CREDO Action" <act@credoaction.com>
Date: Sep 11, 2014 6:48 AM
Subject: Stop a mining company from poisoning the world's largest salmon fishery


CREDO action
Tell the EPA: Stop the Pebble Mine from killing Alaska's salmon.
Tell the EPA to stop the Pebble Mine from poisoning the world's largest salmon fishery. Submit a public comment now before the crucial September 19 deadline.
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Dear Liz,
Stop the Pebble Mine
The world's largest salmon fishery could soon be poisoned by toxic mining waste unless the EPA stops it. A Canadian mining company wants to build a massive open-pit gold and copper mine in the ecologically-sensitive streams and wetlands that feed into Alaska's pristine Bristol Bay.1
Thanks in part to your activism, we're at a crucial moment in this fight. The EPA is planning to limit mining activity near Bristol Bay,2 which could stop the project entirely. But it is coming under heavy pressure from industry and congressional Republicans to back down. We need the EPA to stand strong and stop this reckless corporate assault on our environment.
Tell the EPA: Stop the Pebble Mine from poisoning the world's largest salmon fishery. Submit a public comment now before the crucial September 19 deadline.
If approved, the Pebble Mine would be the largest mine of its type in North America. The mine itself would cover up to 6.9 square miles, with an 18 square mile wastewater pond to store the 10 billion tons of potentially toxic waste the mine is expected to generate.3
The momentum in this fight is on our side. After years of pressure from CREDO activists and other people who care about Bristol Bay, two investors -- including one of the Pebble Mine's original partners -- have pulled out of the project.
Right now, the EPA is considering using its authority under the Clean Water Act to intervene due to the threats the mine poses to the Bristol Bay watershed. According to Region 10 EPA administrator Dennis McClerran, the mine would "pose significant risks to the fragile ecosystem," which supports nearly half of the world's sockeye salmon population.4
Just last month, on August 4, a dam burst at the Mount Polley mine's waste pond in Canada, dumping more than 4.5 million cubic meters of toxic waste into nearby lakes and streams.5 This environmental disaster at a similar gold and copper mine showed what could be in store for Alaska if the Pebble Mine is allowed to move forward.
Sign the petition: Tell the EPA to stop the Pebble Mine from poisoning the world's largest salmon fishery. Submit a public comment now.
It isn't just the potential for an irreversible environmental catastrophe that is driving widespread opposition to the Pebble Mine. As of 2009, the Bristol Bay watershed generated hundreds of millions of dollars in economic activity annually and 14,000 jobs, primarily in the fishing industry.6 All of that could be at risk if the disastrous Pebble Mine project is allowed to move forward.
The EPA is taking public comments on its proposal to protect the Bristol Bay and its watershed from toxic mining pollution – but this critical comment period ends on Friday, September 19. I hope you'll submit your comment now to help stop the Pebble Mine:
http://act.credoaction.com/sign/epa_pebble_mine?t=6&akid=11626.844462.pTAXTH

Thanks for fighting to stop the Pebble Mine.
Josh Nelson, Campaign Manager
CREDO Action from Working Assets
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1. "Alaskans Sound Off To EPA On Proposed Pebble Mine Restrictions," Huffington Post, August 18, 2001.
2. "EPA proposes limits on Alaska's Pebble Mine project," Washington Post, July 18, 2014.
3. "More press releases» Press Release EPA Opens Public Comment Period on Proposed Pebble Mine Project," Digital Journal, August 7, 2014.
4. "Bristol Bay mining would harm salmon habitat, EPA analysis says," Washington Post, May 18, 2012.
5. "Mount Polley mine spill: a hazard of Canada's industry-friendly attitude?," The Guardian, August 13, 2014.
6. "Proposed Determination of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 10 Pursuant to Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act Pebble Deposit Area, Southwest Alaska," Environmental Protection Agency, July 2014.

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