Murkowski said she and her staff are still reviewing the EPA report

Profiles in courage.

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a briefing with reporters that the state, and not the federal government, should decide the fate of the Pebble Mine.

Unlike her senate colleague Mark Begich, who now officially opposes the mine based on the EPA report, Murkowski opted to punt instead of staking out a position on whether Pebble should ever be built.

LINK (via: Anchorage Daily News)

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/01/20/3283273/state-not-feds-should-decide-pebbles.html#storylink=cLINK (via: The Anchorage Daily News)

Seattle Stop the Pebble Mine Rally

While we'll have to wait a couple more weeks for the Seahawks superbowl victory parade, there is another big event happening this week in Seattle.

Join Senator Maria Cantwell, Chef Tom Douglas, and commercial fishermen on Thursday, January 23rd at Seattle's Fisherman's Terminal in a call for action to protect Bristol Bay's 14,000 jobs.

LINK

He's the first member of Alaska's current congressional delegation to speak out firmly in opposition to the mine

Another nail in the Pebble coffin.

Alaska Sen. Mark Begich says that he's concluded the proposed Pebble mine cannot be developed without harming the Bristol Bay region's world-famous red salmon runs.

"Wrong mine, wrong place, too big," Begich said in an interview. "Too many potential long-term impacts to a fishery that is pretty critical to that area but also to Alaska, to world markets."

LINK (via: Anchorage Daily News)

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/01/19/3281944/begich-on-pebble-wrong-mine-wrong.html#storylink=cpy

EPA releases Bristol Bay Assessment

In February of 2011 the Environmental Protection Agency launched the Bristol Bay watershed assessment, two years later they have released their final report on the impacts of the proposed Pebble Mine.

Dennis McLerran, regional administrator for Seattle-based Region 10 of the EPA, outlined the findings:

“Our report concludes that large scale mining poses risks to salmon and the tribal communities that have depended on them for thousands of years.” 

Needless to say Northern Dyansty President Ron Thiesson was crying foul.

“Publication of the final watershed assessment (by EPA) is really the final chapter in a very sad story . . . We believed the EPA set out to do a flawed analysis of the Pebble Project and they certainly succeeded.”

LINK (via: Seattle PI)

It will be interesting to see how the investment community and Northern Dynasty's remaining partner Rio Tinto react.

Pebble Mine's 2013 Year End Review

One foot in the grave?

LINK (via: The Huffington Post)

It's up to the broad based anti Pebble coalition to provide the banana peel in 2014.

Ecosystems 101: Hard lessons from the mighty salmon runs of Alaska’s Bristol Bay

A definitive must read on why Bristol Bay must be protected.

LINK (via: High Country News)