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August 21, 2018
PRESS RELEASE Joint state, congressional letter well-intentioned but misses the target Salmon Beyond Borders thanks Sen. Dan Sullivan and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott for their July 31 letter to Global Affairs Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada about transboundary mining in shared British Columbia and Alaska watersheds. However, the two seem to have lost sight of the heart of the issue: the need for binding international agreements and financial assurances to protect shared waters. Instead, the letter urges the continued pursuit of non-binding understandings that hinder real action and liability. Though each issue Sullivan and Mallott identify is significant, the letter omits any mention of financial assurance policies that will ensure mines can clean up disasters in shared watersheds, or that the mines have enough money set aside for reclamation and long-term maintenance. All of the transboundary mines under development in B.C. will have to be treated “in perpetuity” to remove heavy metals that will poison salmon — another way to say “forever.” As just two examples of B.C.’s lax requirements, Teck Resources has been required to post more money in financial assurances for its one Alaska mine than for all five of its B.C. coal mines that drain into Montana, despite the fact they are actively killing fish in downstream U.S. rivers — and Canadian taxpayers ended up paying for $40 million of the cleanup after Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley disaster in the Fraser River watershed, which flows into the ocean just north of the Washington state line. “Senator Sullivan and Lt. Governor Mallott have been strong for our transboundary rivers, but at the same time, they are letting the B.C. government set the terms, while Alaskans are the ones at risk of losing everything,” said Salmon Beyond Borders Campaign Director Jill Weitz. “While officials on both sides of the border dither, B.C. continues to permit and encourage transboundary mines that don’t follow the recommendations of their own auditor general or the independent review panel after the Mount Polley disaster. We don’t need more conversation about conversation. We need binding financial assurances and action under the Boundary Waters Treaty, and we need leaders like Sullivan and Mallott to keep rattling the cages.” Contact: Jill Weitz Campaign Director Salmon Beyond Borders 1 (907) 957-9504 jill@salmonstate.org
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July 11, 2018
PRESS STATEMENT U.S. IJC commissioners call out Canadian commissioners for repressing data on B.C. mine pollution of transboundary U.S. rivers In an unprecedented move, U.S. commissioners for the U.S.-Canada International Joint Commission (IJC) have accused their Canadian counterparts of repressing information on B.C. mine pollution — and resulting fish kills — in a transboundary U.S.-Canada watershed. The commissioners wrote in a letter to the Department of State’s Office of Canadian Affairs Director Cynthia Kierscht that the “province of British Columbia (B.C.) knows that mining impacts cannot be mitigated to satisfy Article IV of the Boundary Waters Treaty, and, for this reason, B.C. does not want the Parties to refer mining issues to the IJC for resolution.” The revelation makes clear what is at risk for Southeast Alaska if it remains unprotected from B.C. mines near the headwaters of transboundary rivers — and Alaska’s urgent need for binding enforceable protections and financial assurances, which only federal action can achieve. In the recent letter, dated June 20, U.S. Section Chair Lana Pollack and U.S. Section Commissioner Rich Moy said the Canadian commissioners refused to certify a report six years in the making on selenium pollution’s effect in the Elk-Kootenai watershed in Montana. Instead, Canadian commissioners chose to use a report from the 1980s, which does not include data on selenium. Teck Coal, operating in B.C. along the Montana border, has been fined for releasing selenium into the Elk-Kootenai watershed far beyond levels considered safe. Furthermore, B.C. authorized Teck Coal to shut down its water treatment plant because it was actually making the problem worse by creating and releasing a form of selenium that kills fish. Selenium pollution from Teck mines has killed a significant percentage of trout in the Elk River — up to 50 percent in some parts of the watershed, according to the letter — deformed them, and rendered them sterile. In spite of these violations, the B.C. government has recently issued expansion permits to Teck’s existing mines in the transboundary Elk-Kootenai watershed. “Ground contamination with selenium will only get worse… and will last for centuries in the Elk-Kootenai watershed,” the commissioners wrote. “There is a question as to whether the technology even exists to remove selenium from large volumes of flowing water and there is no viable solution to remove selenium from groundwater.” Due to the geology of Northwest B.C. and the quantity of hard rock B.C. proposes to mine along the Alaska border, all of the more than a dozen mines operating or proposed in the area, including Imperial Metals’ operating Red Chris mine and Seabridge Gold’s proposed KSM mine, will require selenium treatment not only during their operation, but forever after their closure. “Mining regulation in B.C. appears to be a case of the fox guarding the henhouse,” said Heather Hardcastle, Salmon Beyond Borders campaign advisor. “The U.S. IJC commissioners have highlighted how Canada and B.C. have abdicated their duties to the Boundary Waters Treaty. The U.S. must defend our resources before it’s too late. We look to Gov. Bill Walker, Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, and the Alaska congressional delegation to continue pushing the U.S. Department of State to demand of Canada binding protections and financial assurances for U.S. interests in U.S.-B.C. watersheds.” “This kind of damage to fish and their habitat — death by a thousand cuts — is what we are fighting to prevent here in Southeast Alaska,” said Salmon Beyond Borders Campaign Director Jill Weitz. “We are so grateful to the U.S. commissioners for doing their job to defend U.S. interests and for drawing attention to this data, Canadian commissioners’ repression of it, and the B.C. government’s complicity in it all. Alaska needs federal intervention now, before we’re dealing with salmon deformities and infertility in the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers.” Contacts: Jill Weitz Campaign Director Salmon Beyond Borders 1 (907) 957-9504 jill@salmonstate.org Heather Hardcastle Campaign Advisor Salmon Beyond Borders 1 (907) 209-8486 heather@salmonstate.org June 25, 2018
PRESS STATEMENT Thank you, Senator Lisa Murkowski, for defending Alaska’s transboundary rivers, jobs, and way of life. JUNEAU— Salmon Beyond Borders thanks Senator Lisa Murkowski for her efforts to ensure Southeast Alaska’s transboundary rivers remain productive for salmon and Alaskans. Following the 2018 Omnibus Spending Bill, Congress, with Senator Murkowski’s leadership, directed the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to work with local tribes and agencies “to develop a water quality strategy for transboundary rivers impacted by mining activities” in the Alaska/British Columbia transboundary region. In a recent Interior-Environment committee bill, $1.5 million was appropriated to fund stream gauges that measure transboundary river water quality in U.S. states bordering British Columbia. That includes a gauge along the Unuk River near Ketchikan, a river to which Seabridge Gold’s massive proposed Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell (KSM) project poses threats. “This is a vote to support clean air, water, our lands, and our people,” Murkowski, chairwoman of the Interior-Environment Subcommittee, told E&E News. “Eighty percent of Southeast Alaska king salmon come from the transboundary Taku, Stikine, and Unuk rivers, yet B.C. is pushing 'go' on more than a dozen mines in these watersheds. It’s imperative we have good, reliable science documenting the quality of these rivers so that we can hold the Canadian government accountable for downstream impacts to U.S. resources,” said Salmon Beyond Borders Director Jill Weitz. “Senator Murkowski’s leadership is huge for this important work, and we look forward to the USGS collaborating with tribes and state agencies that are already on the ground.” The bill has passed through the Senate Appropriations Committee and now moves on to the next step in the process. Senator Murkowski's press statement can be found here. Contact: Jill Weitz Campaign Director Salmon Beyond Borders 1 (907) 957-9504 jill@salmonstate.org June 6, 2018
PRESS RELEASE At transboundary dialogue, officials talk process when Alaskans want action JUNEAU— Abandoned, operating and planned mines on transboundary rivers in British Columbia pose active threats to — or are actively polluting — waters shared by B.C. and Alaska. Meanwhile, State of Alaska and Province of B.C. officials talk “process” — a word that has so far meant anything but action. A June 1 “Transboundary Partners Dialogue” co-hosted by the State of Alaska, the Central Council of the Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska, and Sealaska, offered more of the same. “A process without a binding commitment to action is not much more than a wish,” said Salmon Beyond Borders campaign manager Jill Weitz. Needed actions include the prompt cleanup and closure of the Tulsequah Chief mine in the Taku River watershed, binding financial assurances to cover the costs of all mining impacts prior to mine operations, and the development of a robust, transparent environmental review process for mining projects in transboundary watersheds. “The lack of progress over many years, despite people’s stated good intentions, plainly shows we need a better framework for this issue,” said Heather Hardcastle, Salmon Beyond Borders campaign director. “These are international watersheds protected by international treaties and shared by many different jurisdictions — U.S., Canadian and indigenous. We need to do things differently in B.C.-Alaska watersheds.” Tulsequah Chief mine: Despite repeated promises from former Minister of Energy and Mines Bill Bennett, who visited Juneau in 2015, the Tulsequah Chief Mine, abandoned in 1957, is still releasing acid mine drainage into the Taku River. “It’s three years later. We hear from everybody that there’s concern, and nothing’s happening, and that’s a frustrating thing,” said Rep. Dan Ortiz, I-Ketchikan, at the dialogue. Karina Sangha, Senior First Nations Advisor at the B.C. Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Petroleum Resources, agreed that the province does have the ability to hold historical owner Teck Resources liable. There was no promise, however, that any owner, current or historical, would be. Financial assurances: One of the things Alaskans have always wanted from B.C. mines are binding financial assurances not only for reclamation, but for catastrophes like Mount Polley. Teck Resources has had to put up more money in financial assurances for its one Alaska mine, Red Dog, than for all 13 of its mines in British Columbia, according to “Canadian Mines on Transboundary Rivers: The Need for Financial Assurances,” a March 2017 report to the Alaska State Legislature from B.C. economist Robyn Allan. In a separate report, she found B.C. taxpayers are on the hook for $1.5 billion in unfunded mine disaster and reclamation cleanup. B.C. and Alaska officials will be meeting in August to talk more about financial assurances. B.C.’s environmental assessment process: B.C. officials have repeatedly said their environmental assessment process was “under review.” At the meeting, Alaskans replied that transboundary watersheds require more transparency, responsiveness to comments, and Alaskan input — especially because almost all of planned mines in transboundary watersheds require toxic tailings storage and water treatment in perpetuity. Those mines should undergo the highest level of review. Selenium pollution: Selenium causes death, deformities and infertility in fish, and no one knows how to treat it at the level necessary for large mines. The Elk-Kootenai river system shared by B.C. and Montana is already seeing fish deformities from Teck Resources’ coal mines in B.C., which is releasing selenium at more than 50 times the level that is safe for aquatic life. “Ultimately, this is our fear. This is our concern,” Ortiz told B.C. officials. “I’m talking about long after you and I are gone. Nobody wants to see that happen.” Inter-state cooperation: Ortiz, along with nine other Alaska state legislators, recently sent a letter to Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott and Gov. Bill Walker requesting that Alaska work with Montana, Idaho, and Washington governments. Those states are also dealing with downstream pollution from B.C. mines. At the dialogue, Mallott told Ortiz that “we’ll work with anyone.” Contacts: Heather Hardcastle Campaign Director Salmon Beyond Borders 1 (907) 209-8486 heather@salmonstate.org Jill Weitz Campaign Manager Salmon Beyond Borders 1 (907) 957-9504 jill@salmonstate.org April 18, 2018
MEDIA ADVISORY Canadian mine pollution of U.S. watersheds a top priority for State Department negotiators at U.S.-Canada bilateral meetings WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. State Department is poised to address, with Global Affairs Canada, years of British Columbia (B.C.) mines polluting American watersheds. Acid mine drainage and toxins from Canada in rivers that flow into Alaska, Montana, Idaho and Washington are damaging U.S. interests and are a significant part of the April 26, Washington, D.C. bilateral meetings — discussions of the most urgent diplomatic issues between the two countries. A delegation of fishermen and advocates from Alaska and Montana will be in D.C. to support strong U.S. federal government actions to protect fish and jobs in these watersheds. They are available for in-person interviews and editorial board meetings from April 23-26. BACKGROUND Transboundary rivers in Alaska are home to some of the planet’s last remaining wild salmon strongholds and are the foundation of a multi-billion-dollar regional commercial fishing and tourism economy. In Montana, transboundary rivers form the headwaters of the vast Columbia River system, which is the economic lifeblood coursing through all of the contiguous Pacific Northwest states. B.C., with the support of the Canadian federal government, is fast-tracking the exploration and approval of new mines along Alaska’s transboundary Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers, as well as mineral exploration in Washington’s Skagit River watershed. Upstream of Montana and Idaho, Canadian coal companies are pressing for new and expanded mines in the transboundary Elk-Kootenai River system. This is despite the fact that B.C.’s abandoned and operational mines there already have degraded water quality, damaged the region’s famed fishery, and limited the watershed’s potential to create U.S. jobs. U.S. citizens point to the Kootenai and more than 60 years of acid mine drainage from Canada’s now defunct Tulsequah Chief Mine in Alaska’s Taku River watershed as prime examples of reckless B.C. mining practices. They also point to the 2014 failure of a tailings dam at Imperial Metals’ Mount Polley mine in B.C.’s Fraser River watershed, just north of the B.C.-Washington border, and the scathing independent report that found the dam operated for years with fatal design flaws. B.C.’s own Auditor General has declared that the province fails to adequately monitor the mining industry, with “almost every one of our expectations for a robust compliance and enforcement program… not met.” These stark regulatory flaws place at risk Canada’s obligations under the U.S-Canada Boundary Waters Treaty, which states that waters flowing across the border shall not be polluted to the injury of health or property in the neighboring country. Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) recently passed into law a requirement that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency negotiate a solution to the Montana transboundary pollution problem. Also, Tester, Gov. Steve Bullock (D-MT), Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), Rep. Don Young (R-AK), Gov. Bill Walker (I-AK) and Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott (D-AK) have worked with the State Department to initiate a binational analysis of mining operations in transboundary waters, which will be discussed April 26. Contacts: Heather Hardcastle Campaign Director Salmon Beyond Borders 1 (907) 209-8486 heather@salmonstate.org Michael Jamison Crown of the Continent Senior Program Manager National Parks Conservation Association 1 (406) 250-2540 mjamison@npca.org Jill Weitz Campaign Manager Salmon Beyond Borders 1 (907) 957-9504 jill@salmonstate.org Dave Hadden Executive Director Headwaters Montana, Inc. 1 (406) 270-3184 dave_hadden@headwatersmontana.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Heather Hardcastle, Salmon Beyond Borders, (907) 209-8486 Salmon Beyond Borders statement on joint State of Alaska - Alaska congressional delegation letter calling for international solutions regarding transboundary watersheds JUNEAU, AK – The State of Alaska and the entire Alaska congressional delegation sent a long-awaited joint letter today to the U.S. Department of State concerning threats to the iconic Alaska-British Columbia (B.C.) transboundary salmon rivers. Over a dozen Canadian mines are proposed and operating in the B.C. headwaters of these shared rivers Salmon Beyond Borders statement is as follows: “Salmon Beyond Borders is extremely pleased to see that Alaska leaders are united in calling on the U.S. federal government to utilize all international tools available to support and defend the livelihoods of the peoples and governments of Alaska from Canada’s large-scale mines upstream in British Columbia (B.C.). Salmon Beyond Borders acknowledges that the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the State of Alaska and the Province of B.C. last year was a step toward ensuring and maintaining the productivity of transboundary watersheds. But a complementary process between the U.S. and Canada that ultimately leads to binding protections for Alaskans is essential in seeking an international solution for this international problem. Everyone at Salmon Beyond Borders sends a hearty thank you to Governor Bill Walker, Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott, Senator Lisa Murkowski, Senator Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young for standing up for Alaska’s treasured salmon rivers, jobs, and way of life.” ### Salmon Beyond Borders is a campaign driven by sport and commercial fishermen, community leaders, tourism and recreation business owners and concerned citizens, in collaboration with Tribes and First Nations, united across the Alaska/British Columbia border to defend and sustain our transboundary rivers, jobs and way of life. Southeast communities renew push for federal help with B.C. mines while state stands still10/17/2017 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Heather Hardcastle, Salmon Beyond Borders, (907) 209-848 Southeast communities renew push for federal help with B.C. mines while state stands still Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan update municipal resolutions for federal involvement on transboundary river concerns in advance of upcoming U.S.-Canada bilateral meeting JUNEAU, AK – In recent weeks, four Southeast communities passed resolutions renewing calls for the State of Alaska to explicitly request the involvement of the federal government on the AK-British Columbia (B.C.) transboundary mining issue. The resolutions come a week before an Oct. 23 U.S.-Canada bilateral meeting in Ottawa. Community leaders and many other Alaskans hope this issue will be broached by U.S. officials.
However, under the Walker Administration, the State of Alaska still has not formally requested the involvement of the U.S. State Department. This inaction is in spite of updated resolutions from the assemblies of Sitka, Wrangell, Petersburg, and Ketchikan, and letters and resolutions from dozens of other communities, legislators, and Tribes, as well as Alaska’s entire U.S. Congressional Delegation. “Wrangell is The Gateway To The Stikine, and as such, Wrangell, as well as all Alaskans, need to have enforceable regulations in place to prevent contamination of these shared transboundary watersheds," said City and Borough of Wrangell mayor David Jack. "Enforceable protections and financial assurances can only be secured through a binding federal framework.” Recent resolutions passed by the four communities were centered on the necessity for the State of Alaska to request that the U.S. take action under the Boundary Waters Treaty so that binding protections are secured between the two countries. This is not achievable through the non-binding agreement between the state and B.C. As local assemblies passed formal resolutions this fall, citizens of each community turned out to local events to learn more about the Canadian mines threatening productive salmon habitat in Southeast Alaska. “Commercial fishing is Petersburg’s economic engine and lifeblood and the large-scale mining development in B.C. presents a very real potential threat to our economy. For this reason, Petersburg, along with other Southeast Alaska communities, continue to strongly urge that Governor Walker requests explicit U.S. involvement to protect the interests of Alaskans downstream,” said Petersburg Borough mayor Mark Jensen. “Unfortunately, the State of Alaska has neither the authority nor the fiscal resources to protect our fisheries from Canada’s large-scale mines,” said Ketchikan Gateway Borough mayor David Landis. “The critical next step is for the state to appeal to the United States government to craft enforceable regulations that will protect our interests.” Although members of the Juneau community packed public events in support of federal engagement, the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly members paused to take more time with their updated resolution after a mining executive, Mr. Mike Satre, expressed his personal concerns via email to the Assembly about the federal approach. The Assembly will reconsider the issue later in November once they have had time to more fully understand mining industry concerns with invoking the Boundary Waters Treaty, which applies directly to the governance of international watersheds. Salmon Beyond Borders formally responded yesterday to Mr. Satre’s concerns via an email to the City and Borough of Juneau Assembly. “Senators Murkowski and Sullivan, as well as Congressman Young, continue to elevate this issue and drive federal resources toward securing long-lasting protections for Alaska’s future. The Walker Administration needs to join with the communities it represents and the people who have put trust in this Administration to protect wild salmon and clean water, Alaska’s greatest resources,” said Heather Hardcastle of Salmon Beyond Borders. “We just learned the transboundary mining issue isn’t currently even on the U.S.-Canada bilateral meeting agenda. Governor Walker, please join with your constituents and fellow elected leaders in explicitly calling on the State Department before October 23rd.” ### Salmon Beyond Borders is a campaign driven by sport and commercial fishermen, community leaders, tourism and recreation business owners and concerned citizens, in collaboration with Tribes and First Nations, united across the Alaska/British Columbia border to defend and sustain our transboundary rivers, jobs and way of life. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 29, 2017 CONTACT: Heather Hardcastle, Campaign Director, Salmon Beyond Borders, (907) 209-8486 Alaskans to Walker and Mallott: defend our wild salmon rivers now JUNEAU, AK – Dozens of organizations, legislators, and concerned citizens have come together once again to call on Governor Walker and Lt. Governor Mallott to request, in writing, the federal government to pursue enforceable protections for the rivers of Southeast Alaska by Aug. 4. The unified request comes the day before the end of a comment period regarding the implementation of the non-binding Statement of Cooperation between the State of Alaska and British Columbia (B.C.), and weeks in advance of the third anniversary of B.C.’s Mount Polley mine tailings disaster. A June 21, 2017 legislative letter, signed by Representative Dan Ortiz, Representative Louise Stutes, Senator Dennis Egan, Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Representative Justin Parish, and Representative Geran Tarr, states: “We urge you to join with the nearly 10,000 individual Alaskans, numerous commercial and sport fishing groups, tourism businesses, Tribes, mayors, legislators, and our congressional delegation to make an explicit, written request of the U.S. federal government to develop and secure binding, enforceable measures to defend threatened U.S. interests in the Alaska-B.C. transboundary situation. We ask you to do this by August 4, 2017, in honor of the third anniversary of B.C.’s Mount Polley mine disaster.” The statement from Heather Hardcastle of Salmon Beyond Borders is as follows: “Alaskans again beg the State of Alaska to build on the non-binding Statement of Cooperation and specifically ask the U.S. federal government to secure enforceable protections and financial compensations for Alaskans. In their own letter to the Walker administration, Montana citizens who currently face an irreparably polluted transboundary river also strongly advise the State of Alaska to request binding protections from upstream B.C. mining activity. We can only hope the State of Alaska listens to our collective voices this time.” The Statement of Cooperation comment period deadline comes as the state undergoes financial crisis, Alaskans cope with king salmon fishing closures on the Taku, Stikine, and Unuk Rivers, and new large-scale B.C. mines operate in the Stikine and Unuk watersheds. The Red Chris mine, owned by Imperial Metals as is the Mount Polley mine, opened in the Stikine watershed in Feb. 2015. The Brucejack mine, owned by Pretivm Resources, began pouring gold last week at its site roughly 20 miles from the U.S./Canada border in the Unuk watershed. ### Salmon Beyond Borders is a campaign driven by sport and commercial fishermen, community leaders, tourism and recreation business owners and concerned citizens, in collaboration with Tribes and First Nations, united across the Alaska/British Columbia border to defend and sustain our transboundary rivers, jobs and way of life. Visit us online at salmonbeyondborders.org and find us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. April 6, 2017
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Heather Hardcastle, Salmon Beyond Borders, (907) 209-8486 Salmon Beyond Borders Statement Following Passage of House Joint Resolution 9 Through the Alaska House Fisheries Committee JUNEAU, ALASKA - Today, “House Joint Resolution 9: Canadian Mines on Transboundary Rivers (HJR 9)" successfully passed in the House Fisheries Committee. This resolution, introduced by Representative Ortiz (I - Ketchikan) and sponsored by Representatives Kreiss-Tomkins, Tuck, Tarr, and Parish, “urges the United States government to continue to work with the government of Canada to investigate the long-term, region-wide downstream effects of proposed and existing industrial development and to develop measures to ensure that state resources are not harmed by upstream development in British Columbia.” In response to the passage of HJR 9, Heather Hardcastle of Salmon Beyond Borders stated: “We are pleased to see the Alaska House Fisheries Committee join thousands of Alaskans, and the Alaska congressional delegation in support of an international framework, under which the U.S. and Canadian federal governments can develop enforceable protections and financial assurances to defend Alaska’s valuable resources and way of life. This framework would be complimentary to the State of Alaska’s current non-binding Statement of Cooperation with British Columbia.” HJR 9 will be heard in the House Resources Committee Monday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m. in room 124. ### Salmon Beyond Borders is a campaign driven by sport and commercial fishermen, community leaders, tourism and recreation business owners and concerned citizens, in collaboration with Tribes and First Nations, united across the Alaska/British Columbia border to defend and sustain our transboundary rivers, jobs and way of life. Visit us online at salmonbeyondborders.org and find us on Facebook. April 4th, 2017
CONTACT: Heather Hardcastle, Campaign Director, Salmon Beyond Borders, (907) 209-8486 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Salmon Beyond Borders statement regarding April 6th legislative hearing, resolution concerning upstream mining development in British Columbia JUNEAU, AK – From 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Thursday, April 6, the House Fisheries Committee will hear expert and public testimony related to the threats to Alaskans posed by upstream mining development in British Columbia. The Committee will decide how the State of Alaska should address concerns by a growing number of residents and business owners who rely on the imperiled transboundary rivers shared by Alaska and British Columbia. Specifically, Committee members will decide whether to advance House Joint Resolution 9 (HJR 9), which urges the United States and Canadian federal governments to resolve the issue of potential harm to Alaska resources by Canadian mining. HJR 9 states: “BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature strongly urges the United States government to continue to work with the government of Canada to investigate the long-term, region-wide downstream effects of proposed and existing industrial development and to develop measures to ensure that state resources are not harmed by upstream development in British Columbia.” Concerning upstream development threats to Alaskan interests, HJR 9 sponsor, Rep. Dan Ortiz (I-Ketchikan), recently stated the following in a Feb. 22 opinion editorial published in the Juneau Empire: “Therefore, I believe a first order of business is for the state of Alaska to join with our congressional delegation, tribal governments, and thousands of residents in asking the U.S. federal government to secure immediate and enforceable protections and financial assurances for Alaskans who depend on the rivers of Southeast.” The statement from Heather Hardcastle of Salmon Beyond Borders is as follows: “We’re grateful that Rep. Ortiz and the Fisheries Committee are working to ensure these important protections for Southeast Alaska residents and businesses move forward at the federal level as quickly as possible. We’re hopeful that Thursday’s hearing is a step toward to the State of Alaska explicitly outlining how it will work with the United States federal government to secure enforceable protections and financial compensation for impacts related to Canadian transboundary mining projects.” ### Salmon Beyond Borders is a campaign driven by sport and commercial fishermen, community leaders, tourism and recreation business owners and concerned citizens, in collaboration with Tribes and First Nations, united across the Alaska/British Columbia border to defend and sustain our transboundary rivers, jobs and way of life. Visit us online at salmonbeyondborders.org and find us on Facebook and Twitter. |
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