Salmon Beyond Borders statement regarding April 6th legislative hearing, resolution concerning upstream mining development in British Columbia

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.”
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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.