This spring, United Tribes of Bristol Bay executive director Alannah Acaq Hurley was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for North America. This international award recognized Hurley’s work to protect Bristol Bay’s salmon runs from Northern Dynasty Minerals' proposed Pebble Mine. While supporters of the mine say their operations will bring jobs to the region, opponents say those jobs are not worth jeopardizing the region’s ecosystem. Further oral arguments on the litigation of Pebble Mine will take place on Thursday June 25th, at the U.S. District Count for Alaska in Anchorage.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
KDLG: Hi, Alannah, thanks so much for taking the time to talk today. I want to start off by saying congratulations on the Goldman Award. Can you introduce yourself and tell me a little bit about what this award means for you, for the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, and for your work in the region?
Hurley: Yeah, quyana, so much. I think the Goldman Award is a real testament to the dedication and commitment of the people of Bristol Bay to protecting our lands, our waters, our fish, our ways of life. It's a real recognition of our collective work together over the last 20 plus years. There's no way this recognition would have come with just the work of one person. It's really a testament to all of our people and communities and organizations and our allies working together over the long term.
KDLG: This spring in the Pebble Developers Court filings, they said that only 27 coho salmon were found at the proposed mine site, and they say mining it would yield copper, gold, and metals valued at an estimated $800 billion in profits. What is your response to that characterization?
Hurley: I literally thought that was fake news when I saw it, because it's such a laughable claim. When 10s of millions of salmon return to Bristol Bay annually, it's such a highlight of how Pebble, over the last 20 years, and their attorneys will do and say anything, no matter how ludicrous it is, to get people to believe that their project belongs in Bristol Bay, even though the science, the history, and the record of people weighing in against this project has never ever changed. This is the wrong mine in the wrong place, and it doesn't really matter what type of outrageous claims they make in court about 27 salmon. When you know we have hundreds of years, over 100 years now, of records proving the exact opposite.
KDLG: And can you share a bit about where the litigation currently stands, and what's coming up this summer in the courts.
Hurley: So next week there will be the oral argument on the state of Alaska, the Pebble Limited Partnership, their challenge to the EPA protections, and so we anticipate a ruling. I don't think we really have a timeframe, but hopefully in the year following that court date, and Bristol Bay organizations, including United Tribes of Bristol Bay, have committed to the long term to work to defend these protections. So we will be at the oral argument next week, and are completely committed to continuing to work to defend those protections we fought so long and hard for
KDLG: Looking ahead, Pebble's backers are investing in a long-term legal strategy, so the time horizon on this fight is unknown, but this is one proposed mine in the region. What broader or more permanent protections would you like to see in place to have more lasting protection in the watershed?
Hurley: That's a really great question. The tribes of Bristol Bay published the call to protect Bristol Bay in 2020 and it really outlined a very public and transparent two-part strategy where we would seek protection from the pebble deposit, the largest deposit of any of the mining claims within the bay, through EPA Clean Water Act protections, but there still are, as you implied, over 20 other active mining claims throughout the entirety of the watershed, and our tribes have been working for a long time for permanent watershed-wide protections. We saw a bill in the Alaska State Legislature, we’re calling it the Bristol Bay Forever Bill HB233 that was introduced by Representative Edgmon in not last session, but the session before, and unfortunately, due to a pretty challenging political environment, it didn't get anywhere within the legislature. But that is a real testament, I think, to the foundation we've been able to build over time, and that's really the long-term strategy for Bristol Bay, is watershed-wide protections that will address all of these different types of mining claims, mines like Pebble, so that our kids aren't destined to be fighting proposal by proposal now into eternity.
KDLG: As you know, there are a lot of fishermen out on the water right now who care deeply about this issue. At this stage, what is the best action for people to take?
Hurley: I think at this stage to be paying attention. Make sure you're following the different channels: United Tribes of Bristol Bay, Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay. There's going to be a lot of work in the future that needs to be done to defend the EPA protections, which we currently are doing in court, but also proactively to get those watershed-wide protections that I think is what our region has been truly after in this work for the last 20 plus years. The most immediate thing people can do is make sure that they are educated going into the election about where candidates stand on these issues. Where do they stand on Pebble, where do they stand on permanent protections for Bristol Bay, and use their voice at the ballot box to vote their values. That is probably the most important thing we can do moving into the rest of the year, fishermen and beyond, is make sure that we're showing up at the polls.
KDLG: Thank you so much for sharing a bit about your work, and congratulations again on the Goldman Prize.
Hurley: Quyana
