“Meanwhile, in Alaska, the change in administrations in Washington had a more direct impact. In 2014,…”
“Meanwhile, in Alaska, the change in administrations in Washington had a more direct impact. In 2014, the EPA, which was still under the management of people who believe that the mission of an environmental protection administration is to, you know, protect the environment, virtually stopped the construction of the Pebble Mine. There have been several hearings over the past few weeks and all indications are that the EPA will soon get out of the way and let the project move forward. The Pebble Mine is an environmental disaster in waiting. It is a massive gold and copper mine hard by the world’s greatest salmon fishery. 60 million salmon a month run through Bristol Bay, and the salmon caught there represent half of the salmon eaten in the world last year. There is so much salmon in and around the bay that humans and bears can catch their respective limits and not get in each other’s way. And, for centuries, the bay has been a reliable source of food for the local native peoples, who also have lined up against the mine. The problem is that the gold beneath the earth at the head of Bristol Bay is buried with millions of tons of sulphur. Mix sulphur, air, and water and you get acid, which does not mix well with salmon at all.”
– The Pebble Mine Is an Environmental Disaster in Waiting
(via dendroica)
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Tags: politics.
