Jared Huffman: “My amendment would stop the Army Corps of Engineers from moving forward with their flawed environmental impact statement…”

“My amendment would stop the Army Corps of Engineers from moving forward with their flawed environmental impact statement for the proposed Pebble Mine. Now, the Pebble Mine is a massive project that would be located in the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed in southeast Alaska. It threatens the entire Bristol Bay region: its people, its salmon, and its multimillion-dollar economy. The Bristol Bay watershed supports 25 federally recognized Tribes that depend on salmon for food and their local economy and on a healthy watershed for their clean water. Bristol Bay's wild salmon have sustained Alaska's indigenous communities for thousands of years by providing subsistence food, subsistence-based livelihoods, and the foundation for their culture and community. Salmon are the economic driver in Bristol Bay, and the region supplies half of the world's sockeye salmon and 83 percent of the country's salmon overall. At about this time each year, commercial fishermen go to Bristol Bay to harvest that amazing sockeye salmon run. The commercial harvest results in more than $1 billion in economic impact, $500 million in direct income, and 14,000 jobs. Bristol Bay is also one of the most sought after sportsmen's destinations. Hunting and recreational fishing draws visitors from around the world, resulting in over a thousand jobs and nearly $80 million in direct spending.…”