House passes amendment to halt disastrous Pebble Mine
WASHINGTON – The House of Representatives voted today to pass amendment #90 to H.R. 2740, the labor, HHS, and energy and water appropriations minibus. The amendment, offered by Rep. Jared Huffman, prohibits the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering from rushing to finalize the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska in fiscal year 2020. The amendment passed 233-201 on a bipartisan vote. Friends of the Earth members sent in 21,000 comments to the House of Representatives, urging them to pass the amendment.
Verner Wilson III, senior oceans campaigner for Friends of the Earth and a member of Curyung Tribe in Bristol Bay, Alaska released the following statement in response:
Pebble Mine would be an environmental disaster and would devastate the indigenous communities that rely on Bristol Bay’s rich natural resources. This dangerous mine threatens Bristol Bay, which provides around half of the world’s wild sockeye salmon, and the local economies that depend on those fish and other wildlife.
We are grateful to the House of Representatives for listening to the people of Bristol Bay and Alaska who overwhelmingly oppose this disastrous project. Senator Murkowski and the entire Senate should follow the lead of the House, and pass this amendment to protect Bristol Bay’s people and environment.
Contact: Erin Jensen, (202) 222-0722, [email protected]