New regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have stopped the development of the Pebble Mine in Alaska. But the mine's investors are fighting back. The Pebble Limited Partnership has filed a suit against the EPA in a claim that they have overstepped their boundaries. The EPA has a responsibility to protect the environment. Halting development of the Pebble Mine falls within their scope of responsibility to make sure that the rivers, wetlands and salmon headwaters are safe from this massive mine.
The science is clear. This wouldn't be your typical mine. Located atop Bristol Bay, Pebble would be one of the largest gold and copper mines in the world. In a study considering the mine's disposal impacts, the EPA confirms that waste from the mine would put the surrounding waterways at risk. Disposal from the mine would affect miles of rivers and thousands of acres of wetlands that are crucial for the health of the region's salmon.
Bristol Bay is home to one of the world's last intact salmon ecosystems. The headwaters of the community's salmon fishery sits directly below the would-be mine. This would place salmon in imminent danger of any and all run-offs. The mine would disrupt the salmon and consequently the Alaskan economy that depends so heavily on the fish.
We can't let the Pebble Limited Partnership build. Stand up with the EPA in opposition of the mine that would destroy Bristol Bay's salmon headwaters.
Dear EPA administrator Gina McCarthy,
I am writing to support the EPA's efforts to restrict development of the Pebble Mine in Alaska. From the start it was clear that the Pebble Mine would be far too risky for Alaska's environment. Particularly, the salmon of Bristol Bay would be in danger of the toxic chemicals from the mine's waste. Disposal of chemicals like mercury can easily make their way into the salmon headwaters that lay directly below the mine.
After an environmental impact study, the danger is clear. We cannot allow such a detrimental mine to be built. I urge you to stand up against the Pebble Limited Partnership's lawsuit against the EPA and ensure that development of this mine does not move forward.
[You comments here]
I will stand with the EPA in its legal battle with the Pebble Limited Partnership.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
