WASHINGTON, DC. — The United States Environmental Protection Agency announced their final determination Jan. 30 to approve permanent Clean Water Act protections for Alaska’s Bristol Bay, blocking the Pebble Mine proposal, after a 12 year-long battle.

Bristol Bay is one of the most productive salmon runs in the world; 40-60 million salmon return to the watershed every year.

The Pebble Mine proposal, which would have extracted gold, copper and molybdenum located in the headwaters of the Kvichak and Nushagak Rivers, two of the eight major rivers that feed Bristol Bay, threatened irreparable harm to the watershed.

In 2020, the EPA found that more than 191 miles of streams and 4,614 acres of wetlands would be impacted during construction of the Pebble Mine, with 185 miles ad 3,841 acres of wetlands permanently damaged or destroyed.

A 2014 EPA report noted that the Bristol Bay watershed supports the largest sockeye salmon run in the world, producing 46% of the world’s wild sockeye harvest. The Nushagak River that feeds into Bristol Bay supports one of the world’s largest Chinook salmon runs, which is essential to the survival of Puget Sound’s Southern resident orcas.

“This is the final nail in the coffin for the Pebble Mine. The science is clear, the mine would have devastated Bristol Bay salmon and the thousands of hardworking families that depend on salmon for their livelihoods, subsistence and recreation,” said Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington). “The EPA’s decision to permanently protect Bristol Bay is the culmination of a hard fought battle and I am proud to have stood with fishing families, communities, Tribes and the whole Pacific Northwest Region to oppose the Pebble Mine for more than a decade. Now, we will have a thriving Bristol Bay salmon run for generations to come.”

Cantwell was the first U.S. Senator to oppose the Pebble Mine and for more than a decade has been the leading Senate voice against the project. In 2011, Sen. Cantwell called on the EPA to block the Pebble Mine proposal if the EPA found that the development would harm Bristol Bay salmon, which she called “economic lynchpins” for commercial fishermen in Alaska and the State of Washington.

Her office notes that harvesting, processing and selling Bristol Bay salmon generates $1.5 billion in annual economic activity across the United States. Bristol Bay salmon generate an annual value of at least $500 million for commercial and recreational fisheries in the State of Washington. Bristol Bay salmon support over 5,000 fishery jobs in Washington state and 14,000 jobs globally.

Source: Sen. Cantwell’s office