A fierce battle is happening right now over Bristol Bay, Alaska -- home to one of the last wild salmon runs in the world, and the indigenous Alaskans who depend on that salmon to survive.
A huge mining corporation, Northern Dynasty Minerals, want to exploit the land for gold and copper. The proposed ‘Pebble Mine’ threatens to pollute miles of pristine streams and wetlands, the 40 million sockeye salmon who come to the bay each year, and the livelihoods of local fishermen and indigenous people.
The good news is, the project is in danger. Anglo American, a British mining company, already pulled out last month after investing $541m. With so much opposition, it couldn’t help but see the mine as too risky. If it can pull out, so can Northern Dynasty Minerals.
Tell Northern Dynasty Minerals to pull out of the Pebble Mine project now, and preserve Bristol Bay and its wild salmon for future generations.
Now is the time to speak out -- this past week has seen mounting press attention, as well as an ongoing assessment by the US Environmental Protection Agency of the potential environmental risks posed by the gold mine.
And we could win this. If Anglo American can admit that this is a bad business decision, so can Northern Dynasty Minerals. Jason Metrokin from the Bristol Bay native corporation, says "The people of Bristol Bay overwhelmingly oppose the Pebble project. We are glad that Anglo American has recognised that the proposed mine is too risky, and we urge Northern Dynasty Minerals to do the same."
Corporations have had the power to destroy our land, our water, and our livelihoods, for too long. Let’s take a stand against corporate greed, and say that we put Bristol Bay and its people before gold.
p.s. Apparently this is the biggest issue on the US Environmental Protection Agency's table, after the Keystone XL pipeline. And we reckon we have the same chance of winning it.