The Fight Continues

Several weeks ago, the EPA made the rare decision to use their authority and the Clean Water Act to pause permitting for the Pebble Mine and begin the process of permanently halting the construction of the mine. However, Alaskan senator Lisa Murkowski recently cosponsored a senate bill called the “Regulatory Fairness Act”, which would prohibit […]

Ecosystem-Based Management and Keystone Species

According to the Ecosystem-Based Management Tools Network, ecosystem-based management (EBM) “considers the whole ecosystem, including humans and the environment, rather than managing one issue or resource in isolation.”  But one of the key aspects of EBM is listed as “Incorporating understanding of ecosystem processes and how ecosystems respond to environmental perturbations.”  When it comes to Sockeye […]

Valuing the Bristol Bay Sockeye Salmon Fishery

The estimated value of the Pebble Mine’s mineral resources are definitely astounding. However, I thought it would also be interesting to see how profitable the salmon fishing industry has been in the Bristol Bay Area. According to a 2010 study by the Institute of Social and Economic Research at the University of Alaska Anchorage, the […]

Scientists Compose Collective Letter Against Mine

Recently a group of 360 scientists endorsed a letter asking the   United States Environmental Protective Agency’s Administrator Gina McCarthy to shut down plans for the creation of the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay Alaska.  This letter is one of many collaborated efforts to stop the possibility of placing a large scale open-pit mine in […]