BBRSDA Goes to Washington, DC

BBRSDA Directors and staff were invited to the White House last week to celebrate the EPA’s 404(c) action to protect Bristol Bay salmon habitat. President Biden addressed a crowd of more than 50 in the Rose Garden, many of whom were invited Alaskan guests that have spent years opposing the Pebble Mine project. The event was a joyous, surreal celebration over 20 years in the making and the importance of Bristol Bay was evident in President Biden’s remarks.

Today, Bristol Bay supplies nearly half of the world’s wild sockeye salmon. And it supports 15,000 jobs, American jobs in fishing, processing, and tourism. The economic value is estimated to be $2.2 billion. The amazing thing about resources like this: If you take care of it, it can go on forever. But it’s impossible to put an economic price on that.
-President Joe Biden

BBRSDA has worked closely with regional tribal leaders, conservation groups, and other business partners to protect Bristol Bay, submitting extensive substantive comments to both the EPA and the US Army Corps of Engineers, fighting the project in court, and engaging with commercial fishermen. Last year, we also contributed $1 million to the Pedro Bay Rivers Project, which establishes a conservation easement on lands in the proposed mine’s transportation corridor and will help protect habitat in the northeast Iliamna Lake area.

Despite the historic actions of Biden’s Administration, Bristol Bay is still at risk from other mine developments and BBRSDA remains committed to securing reasonable, permanent protections for the world’s most productive salmon habitat.