Pebble Mine Case - Speech F, Epa

First, I would like to introduce myself and our organization. My name is Gina McCarthy and I am the administrator of the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. EPA was created in 1970 by president Nixon with the goal of establishing and enforcing standards to protect the environment. Through research and scientific information, we aim to reduce to the minimum level the environmental risks and enhance our living conditions.
        In 2010 nine federally-recognized Alaskan tribes petitioned EPA to act and prevent any environmentally harmful activity, as a fulfilment of the federal government’s treaty responsibilities to the tribes;

the fear that drove these people to such a measure is that an imminent large-scale development of a mine, located in the watershed of Bristol Bay, would harm the surrounding environment. Alaska’s Bristol Bay, as most of you know is an untapped ecological area. Moreover, it’s a natural resource that provides habitat for numerous wildlife and fish species but most importantly shelters the richest sockeye salmon grounds in the world. Bristol Bay is also the homeland of many native tribes, around 2/3 of the population, whose culture and heritage is deeply connected with the sockeye salmon exploitation.
        The nature of the proposed project is of immeasurable value and since PLP had been taking too long to submit their plan and taken part of multiple suspicious actions EPA could not stay uninvolved.

 we thus decided to conduct a study using accepted ecological assessment methods and measure the probable impact that any large-scale creation might have to the natural habitat of the area since we have seen previous scientist promises fail

        Our goal and wish is to protect the watershed by any threat the best way possible. In the current circumstances, while depending on the evidence we have gathered so far, we foresee that the risk of a large-scale construction being eventually made outweighs its probable advantages and most of all harms the Sockeye salmon, which should in no way be exposed to heavy metals. EPA and the people whose life and heritage are bonded to the Bristol Bay watershed are not willing to take such a risk. We anticipate that the results of our analysis will set a guideline for the future preservation of the area and how to sustain it. Additionally, we expect from anyone who wants to implement any large-scale development to follow these guidelines.
        the us environmental protection agency will stay true to its principals and its name. Economic development is always more than welcome but only in a sustainable and a respectful for the environment kind of way. Thank you for your time.