Dear Administrator Pruitt and Acting Region 10 Administrator Pirzadeh:
I am writing today to encourage the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska, from the proposed Pebble Mine that would threaten the region's irreplaceable fish and wildlife resources and the 14,000 jobs that depend on Bristol Bay's clean, healthy waters. EPA must keep the Bristol Bay 404(c) Proposed Determination in place to protect Bristol Bay, its salmon, waters, people, and sustainable economy from the proposed Pebble Mine.
EPA's own scientific study contains highly concerning facts: even without a mine disaster, construction of the Pebble deposit will destroy 94 miles of salmon streams and 5,350 acres of wetlands, lakes and ponds. Overall, EPA concluded that mining the headwaters of the Bristol Bay river systems could cause irreparable harm to the valuable Bristol Bay fishery, wildlife, and people.
According to the EPA's own study, the Bristol Bay watershed provides vital habitat for 29 fish species, more than 190 bird species, and more than 40 terrestrial animals. All five species of Pacific salmon – sockeye, Chinook, coho, chum and pink – spawn and rear in the pristine Bristol Bay watershed. The Bristol Bay watershed supports the largest sockeye salmon run in the world, producing approximately 46% of the world's wild sockeye harvest, creating $1.5 billion in economic output and nearly 20,000 jobs throughout the United States annually.
Because of its great ecological and economic value, I recommend the EPA keep in place the 404(c) Proposed Determination for Bristol Bay, Southwest Alaska. The reasonable restrictions included in that proposal will prevent unsustainable development that would adversely impact the region's fishery, recreation and local culture.
Please keep the agency's 404(c) action in place to protect one of the nation's greatest sustainable resources – the Bristol Bay, Alaska, salmon fishery.
[Your Comment]
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
