BBNC seeks permanent Bristol Bay protections as Alaska challenges EPA's Pebble restrictions

Bristol Bay Native Corporation says it's ready to work with Alaska's congressional delegation and the Trump administration on legislation permanently protecting Bristol Bay's resources and sustainable economy. The corporation made the offer Tuesday at its ninth annual Wild Salmon Celebration in Washington, naming no bill, no sponsor and no timeline.

The push comes at a moment when the existing protection may not last. An EPA determination issued in January 2023 under the Clean Water Act currently limits mine-related disposal in specified waters near the Pebble deposit. Three challenges to that determination have been consolidated in federal court, and a judge heard oral arguments in Anchorage in June. Northern Dynasty Minerals, the Canadian company behind Pebble, says the case is now ripe for decision, meaning the EPA's restrictions could be vacated before Congress considers legislation.

Northern Dynasty argues the determination was unlawful from the start. "Our assertion has consistently been that this veto is illegal, and we have a high level of confidence that the court will agree with us," CEO Ron Thiessen said in April. The company also argues the EPA disregarded what it calls billions of dollars in potential economic activity from capital investment and tax revenue.

BBNC puts the salmon fishery's value at 15,000 commercial fishing, processing and tourism jobs and a $2 billion economy, the same figures it used in 2024 defending the determination in court. The corporation says it opposes the proposed Pebble Mine specifically, not mining in general.

Two Bristol Bay village corporations disagree with BBNC's position. Iliamna Natives Ltd. and Alaska Peninsula Corp. filed their own suit in 2024 seeking to overturn the EPA determination. The State of Alaska is also a plaintiff. In announcing the lawsuit, Alaska Peninsula Corp. says it is not endorsing a specific mine, but argues EPA exceeded its authority by foreclosing development on state-owned mineral lands before the normal permitting process was completed.

At the Washington event, BBNC gave Fish First awards to Thomas "Tom" Tilden, second chief of the Curyung Tribal Council; McKie Campbell, a former state Fish and Game commissioner; and Peter Van Tuyn, who drafted BBNC's original EPA petition. Each received a salmon and trout skin basket handcrafted by Bristol Bay resident Marlene Nielsen.