Bristol Bay — Latest News

ConservAmerica Statement on Pebble Decision

WASHINGTON, DC – ConservAmerica issued the following statement today on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' rejection of the proposed Pebble gold and copper mine in Alaska over environmental concerns.

“The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ rejection of the proposed Pebble project is appropriate given the size of the deposit and its location near the headwaters of the Bristol Bay fishery,” ConservAmerica spokesman Robert Dillon said. “ConservAmerica supports the responsible development of our nation’s natural resources, but some projects pose unacceptable levels of risk to be in the public interest - Pebble was such a project. The Trump administration was correct in allowing the federal review process to run its course without political interference, but today’s decision provides certainty for both the people of the region and the project’s proponents.”

Press ReleaseRobert DillonNovember 25, 2020Pebble Mine, Bristol Bay

Pebble Partnership, Army Corps Should Release Revised Bristol Bay Mitigation Plan To Ensure Public Trust

WASHINGTON, D.C. – ConservAmerica President Jeff Kupfer this week called on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to publicly release a new Clean Water Act mitigation plan submitted by the partnership seeking to develop a massive gold and copper mine near the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay.

In a letter to Lt. Gen. Scott Spellmon, Kupfer argued that the Corps is required by regulation to provide a meaningful opportunity for public comment on proposed mitigation plan submitted by the Pebble Limited Partnership. “Given the public’s heightened concern regarding this project and the potential for permanent destruction of essential water resources, we believe it is incumbent upon the Corps to release this plan to the American people without delay,” Kupfer wrote.

Press ReleaseRobert DillonNovember 24, 2020Pebble Mine, Bristol Bay

Andy Sabin: The conservative case against developing Alaska's Pebble Mine

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week warned that the proposed Pebble project — a vast gold and copper mine near the headwaters of Alaska's Bristol Bay — was impossible to build without causing significant damage to the region's pristine waters and salmon fishery.

The Corps stopped short of halting the mine but found the developer, the Pebble Limited Partnership, was unlikely to meet the level of mitigation that would be required under the Clean Water Act to offset the impact on wetlands.

The Trump administration has now done what the previous administration would not — it gave the proposed Pebble project full consideration under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). While the previous administration pre-judged the project with an unprecedented preemptive veto, the Trump U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and all cooperating agencies have given it a full review.

Op-ed, PublicationsRobert DillonSeptember 1, 2020Bristol Bay, Pebble Mine, Alaska, Andy Sabin

Comment on US Army Corps of Engineers Mitigation Plan Requirement for Pebble Mine

WASHINGTON, DC – The mitigation requirements set out today in a letter from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the developers of the proposed Pebble mine are appropriately stringent and set a high bar for development given the massive scale of the project and its sensitive location at the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, said ConservAmerica General Counsel Brent Fewell.

Press ReleaseRobert DillonAugust 24, 2020Bristol Bay, Pebble Mine

Webinar Panelists Oppose Pebble Mine

On Wednesday, ConservAmerica hosted the latest in our series of webinars discussing environment and conservation issues. This edition dealt with the proposal to operate a mine (Pebble Mine) at a site near the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed in southwestern Alaska. The mine is now in the final permitting stage by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

WebinarRobert DillonJune 19, 2020Pebble Mine, Chris Wood, McKie Campbell, Tom Sadler, Bristol Bay

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