“We’ve got some great news. A lot of Alaska is owned by you! That’s right. Alaska holds over 230 million acres of lands that are owned by you and every other American citizen. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Bureau of Land Management oversee management of these lands which are home to some of the most productive fish and game public lands anywhere. These lands stretch from the rainforests of Southeast Alaska to the salmon-rich streams of Bristol Bay. From the windswept islands of the Aleutian chain to the highest peaks of the Brooks Range. From the coast of the Arctic Ocean to the waters of Prince William Sound.”
http://www.sportsmansalliance4ak.org/index.html
I recently wrote Governor Sarah Palin and as a non-resident asked for her position on the Pebble Mine development. This is the response I got back:
Dear Mr. Gary Muncy:
Thank you for your email to Governor Palin expressing your concerns
about the proposed Pebble Mine. She has asked me to respond on her
behalf.
The Governor clearly understands that Bristol Bay is home to one of the
world’s greatest fisheries, and must be protected. Governor Palin
herself has participated in the Bristol Bay commercial fishery, so she
has first-hand knowledge of how important this resource is, not only to
the local residents, but to all Alaskans.
The Governor is charged by Alaskans to ensure that natural
resource development is conducted in a responsible manner that minimizes
its impact on other valuable state resources. That is one of the
reasons the state employs a Large Mine Team of experienced professionals
from all of the applicable state agencies to review, evaluate, and
render permitting decisions about mining projects. It is this team’s
job to focus on the technical merits/weaknesses and regulatory
requirements and see that the necessary environmental safeguards are in
place. Development applications have not yet been received for the
Pebble Mine, but the Large Mine Team is monitoring project activities in
order to be prepared and informed if and when proposals are submitted.
The Governor also believes that it is important not to discard economic
development alternatives for rural Alaska prematurely. Mining and
renewable resources can coexist and mineral development can provide
long-term, well-paying jobs that are important to economically strapped
rural portions of our state. The best example of this is the Red Dog
Mine, which is the major economic contributor to the economy of
Northwest Alaska.
Governor Palin will ensure that if and when development permit
applications are received for the Pebble Project, the state of Alaska
and the federal government will subject those proposals to a thorough
and rigorous permitting process that will provide multiple opportunities
for public review and comment.
Thank you once again for taking the time to share your views about the
Pebble Project.
Brenna M. Hall
Executive Office Assistant
Office of the Governor
Now, unlike many of you, I like Palin and don’t suffer from the Sarah Palin Derangement Syndrome. I support drilling in ANWR (oh my!). However, this (Pebble Mine) is an obvious departure for me from the need to develop energy resources. The Pebble Mine development flies in the face of development, much like hydro power must have seemed so obviously wrong decades ago, yet progressed to ‘normalcy’ today. The more alliances the better that can mount media awareness, public pronouncemens and legal filings. Of course, perhaps the obvious is to bring pressure upon the new President and get his and Carol Browners’ weight behind the issue. That should be easy enough…right?
SwittersB & Exploring 