The Bristol Bay Protection Act

On May 1st, Rep. Mary Peltola introduced the Bristol Bay Protection Act.  The act would codify the 2023 EPA decision to effectively prevent the Pebble Mine.

Bristol Bay is home to Sockeye salmon, bears, birds, walruses, seals, and more. It’s a robust region that we’ve largely spared the harsher touches of industrialization. However, a mining company has been trying to open the Pebble Mine in some of the headwaters of the bay. If successful, the mine would be an open-pit the size of Manhattan. It would also require the construction of new roads and a pipeline. This project would damage the ecosystem and could devastate the salmon that feed everything and everyone in the region from the soil to the people.

In 2023, after decades of work from the environmental, tribal, and fishing community, the EPA vetoed the Pebble Mine using Clean Water Act powers. It was a significant win for the region, Alaska, and the environment. This type of veto is rare, and has never been overturned. However, codifying the rule through the Bristol Bay Protection Act will ensure the salmon runs and region are permanently protected from the Pebble Mine.