When protections for Bristol Bay were unjustly removed, we took action.

Last October, Trout Unlimited, tribal groups and fishing businesses announced that we were suing the EPA for its politically-motivated decision to withdraw proposed protections for the Bristol Bay watershed, effectively paving the way for the proposed Pebble mine.

After we filed claims that the EPA’s withdrawal of the 2014 Proposed Determination violated the Clean Water Act and Administrative Procedures Act, the EPA filed a motion to dismiss our claims. This week on Monday, we traded our waders for suits, and spent the morning at the federal courthouse in downtown Anchorage.

Our team of lawyers argued why the lawsuit should continue, and why the court should hear from Alaskans that support protecting the Bristol Bay region’s world-class fisheries from devastating impacts of the proposed Pebble mine. Read more about the arguments as reported by KTUU.

Not only did the EPA argue our case should be dismissed, but Alaska Governor Dunleavy and the State of Alaska also decided to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of Pebble, instead of standing with Alaskans who seek to protect Bristol Bay and the thousands of American jobs it sustains. Two Bristol Bay lodge owners reacted to this in an opinion article in the Anchorage Daily News. Read more about the Governor's intervention here.

The motion to dismiss is now under advisement, and the judge announced that she hopes to have a decision by the end of the month. We will update you when we hear the ruling.

Simply put, the next 6 months are critical for Bristol Bay. Between this litigation and the release of the Final Environmental Impact Statement later this spring, now is a critical time in our efforts to stop the proposed Pebble mine. We’ve called for all hands on deck as we fight for a place that is so important and facing immense threat.

We hope you will join us in our efforts by supporting the Save Bristol Bay campaign today. Thank you.