With the Trump administration's help, foreign mining companies are pushing ahead with plans for the Pebble Mine — the toxic, gold and copper mega-mine that poses catastrophic risks to Alaska's Bristol Bay wilderness and its world-renowned salmon runs, abundant wildlife, and Native communities.
EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt cut a backroom deal with Canadian company Northern Dynasty Minerals that brought the Pebble Mine back from the dead. But EPA's settlement agreement with Northern Dynasty did more than just resurrect the project: it opened the door for Northern Dynasty to secure the investors it desperately needs to move the project forward.
Along comes First Quantum Minerals, another Canadian company, which recently announced interest in potentially acquiring half of the project and will pay $150 million to help fund the permitting process in the meantime.
If we want to kill the disastrous Pebble Mine, we must shut off the investor money. So, we must do everything in our power to convince First Quantum to walk away from the Pebble Project.
Tell First Quantum's CEO: The Pebble Mine has no place in Alaska's Bristol Bay wilderness!
Dear Mr. Pascall and Mr. Newall:
I'm writing to express opposition to your future investment in the toxic Pebble Mine.
If developed, this massive gold and copper mega-mine could produce billions of tons of mining waste, directly endangering streams that produce half the world's sockeye salmon, as well as Native peoples and wildlife like brown bears and bald eagles that depend on those fish.
The mine is opposed by a diverse group of stakeholders in Bristol Bay: from tribes to businesses, and from commercial fishermen to native village corporations.
Not only is the Pebble Mine bad for the people and environment—it's also a bad investment.
So bad that three of the world's largest mining companies—Mitsubishi, Anglo American, and Rio Tinto—have already walked away from the project, even after investing hundreds of millions of dollars.
For all these reasons, I urge you to step away from this destructive project immediately.
I won't stand by and watch you help turn Alaska's pristine Bristol Bay wilderness into a toxic wasteland for decades to come.
And you can be sure I will never knowingly invest in any company associated with the uniquely reckless Pebble Mine.
[Your comments]
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
[Your name]
