Think About It: Mar 10th 2010
For every day must begin as a crusade that beckons us to go forth and protect this blessed land from the hands of the Infidels. Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pebble Mine Alaska

Something to think about before this project is allowed to move forward.

For many Alaskans, memories of the ill fated Exxon Valdez disaster way back in 1989 remains as grave today as it was way on that 24th day of May in 1989 that has lead to countless livelihoods destroyed, families torn apart, marriages turned into divorces and feeling of helplessness that end in suicides.

What will a $14 million advertising budget buy in Alaska? A question we all need to be asking ourselves when we see the latest volley of propaganda hitting us on television, in the newspapers and on the radio. Have you noticed a change in the opinions of these communication mediums?
Northern Dynasty Marketing Dollars

The Pebble Gold Mine Project.

The proposed Alaska Pebble Mine project is an extremely large and controversial copper, gold, and molybdenum open pit mine proposed for develop within one of Alaska’s Crown Jewel watersheds draining into Bristol Bay in Southwest Alaska. The Bristol Bay watershed lies within the region of Southwest Alaska, near Lake Iliamna and Lake Clark. This is an area that encompasses the headwaters of some very important salmon spawning streams that feed the Kvichak River, Nushagak River and Mulchatna River. These streams include the legendary waters of Upper Talarik Creek and the Koktuli Rivers.

The waters within Bristol Bay are home to Alaska¹s largest sustainable commercial sockeye salmon fishery as well as the famous sport salmon and trout fishing that has attracted fishermen for so many years. Picture the average return of tens of millions of salmon returning to one small area and you can see the value of this one of a kind location. Bristol Bay is also where a large number of our Alaskan native populations have hunted and fished in a subsistence lifestyle for generations. This is a delicate ecosystem referred to as the final place on earth capable of sustaining such massive runs of salmon that return here year after year to spawn.

The crystal clear waters, abundant feed, and relative remoteness all add up to the ideal ecosystem to accommodate the rearing of strong healthy young salmon.

States Minerals Of No Benefit To Most Alaskans

Now that the Legislature has approved the $1,200 Energy Resource Rebate it come time to ask you to contemplate one additional thought. But first let’s look at how the current numbers add up.

The $1,200 payments will be included in this years Alaska Permanent Fund dividend checks we will be receiving this fall. When added to an expected record $2,000-plus check for the 2008 PFD this year’s check will equal in excess of $3,200.

Now you multiply that by the 620,000 people expected to qualify for this years PFD checks, and that totals to just shy of $2 billion dollars.

Now we all realize that that’s a lot of cash but just how much will be summing up in the next few paragraphs.

$2 billion dollars is roughly double the total wages paid in the Alaska construction industry in 2007.

It also exceeds of the $1.4 billion payroll from the states oil, gas and mining sector.

It's also about equal to the total dollars Alaska sees from the travel and tourism sector.

So adding the resource rebate to the already record setting permanent fund checks we all receive from the states oil wealth really helps in offsetting the higher costs of living here in Alaska.

Now for the sake of argument, just imagine if the minerals extracted from the Pebble Mine were to be set up to be added to the Alaska Permanent Fund just as the states oil production is. All Alaskans would become truly be able to benefit from the resources of their state and not just have some hopes for a possible job if the can get lucky enough to get one of the few that actually will go to Alaskans already living in the state.

Think about it…

A Region Already In Jeopardy

On January 10,2007, President Bush lifted the drilling ban on oil exploration for Alaska's Bristol Bay, clearing the way for the Interior Department to open the fish-rich waters to oil and natural gas development. Opening Bristol Bay to oil wells endangers the world's largest wild salmon stock.

"This decision borders on irresponsible, from our perspective," said Eric J. Siy, executive director of the Alaska Marine Conservation Council. The bay has the world's biggest wild sockeye salmon run as well as abundant red king crab, Pacific halibut and Bering Sea pollock and cod fisheries, he said. "The wise thing to do is to invest in the health of that sustainable economy."

Additionally, opening Bristol Bay to further development will threaten more then just fish. The area is also inhabited by millions of migrating waterfowl and shorebirds as well as marine mammals such as the endangered right whales.

Support for the PebbleMineAlaska.com website include local residents of Alaska, commercial fishermen, sport fishermen, subsistence users, marine biologists, small business owners, conservationists, and many other concern citizens who are becoming active in preserving one of Alaska's most impressive wilderness areas. This site contains a quick breakdown of what is being proposed to the people, some alternative that should be considered, an active forum and a huge volume of information about protecting Bristol Bay from any conceivable future disasters from the mining operations. Get pro-active, help support the Pebble Mine Alaska website by sending us your thoughts on what is happening in this hot topic in Alaska's News.