Inletkeeper Blog
Is the Pebble Mine Dead?
On the day before Thanksgiving, Alaskans woke to astounding news: the Army Corps rejected a major permit for the Pebble mine. Never before had the Army Corps rejected a major permit for a large oil, gas or mining project in Alaska. Never. And it only came about after...
PEBBLE MINE IS A GIANT BLACK EYE FOR ALASKA
When I was young and my mom thought I was running with the wrong crowd, she had a simple admonition: if you lay down in the gutter, you get up dirty. That was long ago. But today, when I look at our industry “partners” in Alaska, it feels like we’re wallowing in the...
New Pebble Tapes: Alaskans Will Pay for Pebble Mine Development
Today another public relations bombshell tore into the Pebble Partnership, with the release of new tapes by the Environmental Investigation Agency showing Northern Dynasty’s Ron Thiessen bragging about the company’s political influence over Alaska Senators Dan...
Alaska Salmon are Shrinking
This summer we shared our latest paper on the importance of freshwater conditions for Cook Inlet Chinook Salmon and highlighted how important it is to understand stream-specific responses to climate change for better management of our valuable fisheries. Now we’d like...
Guest Blog: Exxon Restoration Fund Process Should Maintain Strong Public Participation
Background: The Exxon Valdez Trustees Council (EVOSTC) was established after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill to oversee restoration of the injured ecosystem through the use of the $900 million civil settlement. The Council consists of three state and three federal trustees...
The Federal Government Wants to Industrialize Lower Cook Inlet
BOEM is taking comments until October 13. But Inletkeeper is not going to waste your time asking you to submit detailed comments. Instead, please consider signing this letter, telling BOEM it has lost our trust – and we’ll see them in federal court.
The Pebble Partnership: When Lying Liars Tell Alaskans to “Trust the Process”
In late September, the “Pebble Tapes” dropped like a bomb on the Pebble Partnership, blasting public relations shrapnel through the Canadian corporation that will draw blood for a long time. As Pebble staggers through the smoke and fog of the Pebble Tape’s fallout,...
Why Recycling Electronics Helps Fight Pebble
For the past 15 years, Cook Inletkeeper and its partners have hosted electronics recycling (e-cycling) events around the Kenai Peninsula. As this year’s events fast approach, it’s important to understand the many advantages of recycling electronic waste. One of...
If fishermen can’t flush a head in Cook Inlet, why should Hilcorp be allowed to dump toxic waste?
As the fishing season hit its stride this summer, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Jason Brune sent a letter to commercial fishermen about the hazards of dumping raw sewage close to shore. And while sewage management — especially on smaller...
Johnson Tract Mine Prompts Big Questions
Another hardrock mine has reared its head in Cook Inlet, and it’s raising big questions from local property owners, fishermen and businesses. In late August 2020, Inletkeeper flew to the west side of Cook Inlet to meet with local residents and representatives of High...