Submitted by j.weis on Mon, 2018-01-08 15:56 Save Bristol Bay Vote Up Down +7 + _DSC9211 copy.jpg Photo by Tim Romano Step 1: Take a deep breath. Really. Have you done it? Ok good. Now keep reading. On Friday, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers accepted Pebble’s application for permits to mine in Bristol Bay. Step 2: repeat step one. The fact that the Pebble mine proposal even got this far is shocking. In 2014, the EPA determined, after a scientific review and lengthy public comment period in which more than one million people opposed the mine, that the Pebble proposal – even at a small scale – would cause irreversible damage to the Bristol Bay watershed, its amazing salmon and trout fisheries, and the robust fishing economy built upon them. But like a zombie, the Pebble mine proposal just won’t stay dead. Now that you know the latest news, let us make one thing clear: We have an enormous fight ahead of us. Please click here to tell your elected decision makers in Congress to oppose Pebble mine. As we have known from more than a decade of fighting Pebble, this will be a long, drawn-out battle to protect Bristol Bay’s world-class fisheries. Fortunately, many obstacles remain in Pebble’s way, and with your help we can make sure the proposed Pebble mine never becomes a reality. Rest assured, Trout Unlimited will pursue every avenue available. As we continue to review the technical details of their mining application, more of such opportunities will present themselves. In order to be successful, however, we are going to need your help! Have you already commented on Pebble mine in the past? Thank you! Have you commented multiple times? That is awesome. We’re going to need you to do it again. Click here to do so today. sock_2med.jpg Bristol Bay sockeye. Photo by Ben Knight More than one million individuals spoke out against Pebble during the last public comment period, and in order to keep the pressure on throughout the permitting process, we need you to stand up and say: “Bristol Bay, Alaska, is too special to risk by building the proposed Pebble mine.” Alright. Now that we've covered the basics, let’s talk about their actual application. In short, the plan confirms our long-held concerns that the proposed Pebble mine would be catastrophic for Bristol Bay and its world-famous salmon and trout fisheries. Frighteningly, the plan they released isn’t even the full picture. The current plan includes only a fraction of the ore within the Pebble deposit, and based on recent statements by Pebble itself, we know they plan to expand once they get their foot in the door. This means the impacts to the region’s important fish, wildlife and water resources will be even greater than what would result if Pebble’s applications are granted. Pebble is continuing to deceive and mislead Alaskans and Americans, and their “new” plan is nothing more than the same old mine we’ve known was a terrible idea all along with some pretty wrapping paper. IMG_2973.JPG TU's Nelli Williams leads a rally in Anchorage, Fall 2017. Photo by Brandon Hill Here are the takeaways: Don’t be fooled by Pebble’s latest proposal. There is no such thing as small Pebble mine. We are conducting a thorough and rigorous analysis of the permit application, but even a cursory review of the materials confirms that the proposed Pebble mine is an existential threat to one of the world’s greatest wild salmon ecosystems and the lucrative salmon economy it supports. Follow along: please stay tuned on our website and facebook page Speak up: there are still chances to stop this if we all speak up again, and again, and again. Today's opportunity to act is at this link Tell your friends: The more people fighting to protect Bristol Bay, the merrier. We’re all in this together. Stay tuned for more details and action opportunities. Thanks for sticking with us to protect Bristol Bay.