{"id":14083,"date":"2018-06-11T14:38:59","date_gmt":"2018-06-11T18:38:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/?p=14083"},"modified":"2018-06-11T14:38:59","modified_gmt":"2018-06-11T18:38:59","slug":"policy-news-june-11-2018","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esa.org\/esablog\/2018\/06\/11\/policy-news-june-11-2018\/","title":{"rendered":"Policy News: June 11, 2018"},"content":{"rendered":"

ESA Policy News<\/strong><\/h1>\n

In This Issue:<\/h1>\n

Proposed Alaskan Pebble Mine Could Threaten World\u2019s Largest Salmon Fishery and Wetlands<\/u><\/b><\/a>
\nArmy Corps of Engineers seeks public comments by June 29.<\/p>\n

EPA\u2019s Science Advisory Board Holds First Meeting of 2018, Congress Signals Its Support<\/u><\/b><\/a>
\nSAB voted to review the EPA\u2019s \u2018secret science\u2019 proposed rule.<\/p>\n

Congress<\/u><\/a><\/strong>
\nHouse Appropriations Committee passed Interior spending bill, hear on NOAA\u2019s Digital Coast program and legislative updates.<\/p>\n

Executive Branch<\/a><\/u><\/strong>
\nOil and gas firms apply to complete seismic work in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Forest Service increases annual timber harvest.<\/p>\n

Courts<\/u><\/a><\/strong>
\nCourt maintains status on methane rule, California and Oregon attorneys general sue over \u201ctwo-for-one executive order.\u201d<\/p>\n

States<\/u><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

California governor signs bills creating permanent water restrictions, Utah approves plan to reintroduce bighorn sheep.<\/p>\n

Scientific Community<\/a><\/u><\/strong>
\nNational Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine move towards allowing harassers to be expelled from the academies.<\/p>\n

International<\/a><\/u><\/strong>
\nEuropean Commission reveals new science funding scheme, UK seeks to reduce air pollution.<\/p>\n

Federal Register Opportunities<\/a><\/strong>
\nUpcoming meetings and other opportunities for public involvement.<\/p>\n

Register to Vote<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

2018 midterm elections are happening in November.\u00a0\u00a0Register to vote and learn more about voting policies and rights in your state at Rock the Vote.<\/a><\/p>\n

ESA In the News<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

View an up-to-date list of ESA\u2019s media coverage<\/p>\n

ESA Correspondence to Policymakers<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Proposed Alaskan Pebble Mine Could Threaten the World\u2019s Largest Salmon Fishery and Surrounding\u00a0Wetlands<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In December 2017, Pebble Limited Partnership filed for a permit to develop an open-pit gold and copper mine and associated infrastructure in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska, an area that produces about half of the world\u2019s sockeye salmon. The site would include an open pit mine more than a mile across, a 188-mile natural gas pipeline, an on-site power plant, and a ferry to carry mined ore across nearby Lake Iliamna to the port. Additionally, Pebble would create a 3,600-acre tailings compound behind a 685-foot high earthen dam and another 2,300-acre waste rock pile.<\/p>\n

The permit for such a potential environmental threat would usually take years, but the CEO of Pebble LP, Tom Collier, is confident it can be done in less than two \u2013 which would have seemed impossible after the 2014 Environmental Protection Agency report entitled the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment (BBWA) was issued. After analyzing three different mine sizes, the assessment determined any of the three mine sizes studied posed significant risks to the fishery both in everyday operations and in the event of a mining accident. Despite this finding, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced in January of this year that he would allow the permitting process to go forward.<\/p>\n

Potential Catastrophic Environmental Harm<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

According to the official Pebble Mine plan and as reported by Greenwire, the mine would destroy 3,668 acres of wetlands and tens of miles of streams in the Nushagak and Kvichak river drainages. These estimates could increase substantially depending on the size of the mine, reaching over 5,000 acres of wetlands and up to 94 miles of salmon-supporting streams.<\/p>\n

The potential environmental impact of such a massive open-pit mine is significant. For example, E&E News reported the following regarding vulnerabilities to the salmon fishery:<\/p>\n

Bristol Bay\u2019s juvenile salmon stay in headwaters and wetlands until they are old enough to go downstream. The diversity of the watershed\u2019s streams and wetlands is important, scientists say because fish that spawn in different areas of the estuary are genetically diverse.<\/p>\n

Foes of the proposed mine say it would irreversibly damage salmon populations by destroying spawning habitat and weakening the gene pool. Moreover, they say, leaks or spills from a mine-waste disposal dam could cause catastrophic damage to the fishery.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

As noted in the BBWA, even without a major accident or catastrophe, a mine the size of Pebble will eliminate or block up to 87 miles of salmon streams and remove or bury up to 4,200 acres of wetlands that are part of salmon habitat.<\/p>\n

In addition to the threats to the salmon habitat, the greater ecosystem of the wetlands could be significantly compromised. As reported by The Wilderness Society, the EPA estimates that standard operations at the mine could destroy or negatively affect wetlands and habitats throughout the Bristol Bay watershed, including the destruction of 5,350 acres of wetlands, ponds and lakes. The watershed provides vital habitat for 29 fish species, more than 190 bird species, and more than 40 terrestrial animals. Bald eagles, moose, brown bears, rainbow trout, freshwater seals, Pacific walrus, North Pacific right whales and beluga whales all live in the region.<\/p>\n

The opposition to the Pebble Mine is not limited to the United States. In a virtual vote, 170-nation IUCN World Conservation Congress unanimously opposed the Pebble Mine and urged the U.S. government to deny permits. The World Conservation Congress\u00a0members include 217 countries and government agencies and more than 1,000 domestic and international NGOs, which rely on more than 16,000 experts around the world to address the most significant global threats to conservation \u2013 and for the IUCN, the Pebble Mine is one of those threats.<\/p>\n

Current Situation<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Although it is the charge of Alaska\u2019s U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to require compensatory mitigation for such extensive damage, the Alaska District\u2019s record suggests the Corp is soft on requiring mitigation. An E&E News analysis found that the Alaska District has required mitigation for only 26 percent of permit applications filed since 2015.<\/p>\n

Despite the damning conclusions of the BBWA report, the serious concerns voiced by international scientists and the public, and the documented lack of mitigation required by the Corp of Engineers, an approved permit for the Pebble Mine is still very much a possibility.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers public comment period for this action is open until June 29. Comments can be submitted concerning the Pebble Project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS)<\/a>. The Corps website states that it would like input on issues and concerns that should be addressed in the EIS such as:<\/p>\n