ALASKANS NEED SALMON: NOW SALMON NEED US
Alaska’s salmon fishing industry is critical to our state’s economy and way of life. Salmon fishing provides jobs for over 32,000 Alaskans and generates $2 billion in economic activity each year. However, this vital economic resource is now at risk. Salmon populations across Alaska have been declining in recent years, and our 60-year-old laws, intended to protect Alaska salmon habitat for future generations, have become outdated and ineffective.
Currently, there are no specific rules limiting the amount of damage allowed to fish habitats during a development project. Alaskans need to define what it means to "develop responsibly" in salmon habitat and take a Stand for Salmon when it comes to mega development and foreign mining corporations.
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Given the challenges for Alaska’s fisheries, we’re working with communities around the state to identify opportunities at community, borough, state, and federal levels to ensure wild Alaska salmon for generations to come.
LET'S CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY
The foreign mining corporations opposed to this initiative will say and do anything to maximize their shareholders' profit. Many have been caught lying repeatedly about the negative impact their projects have on local communities around the world. In order to protect our Alaskan way of life, we need to support this initiative and not buy what the dishonest foreign mining corporations have to sell.
When foreign mining corporations construct a mega development project on or near our vital wild salmon habitat and that project fails, Alaska shouldn't be left paying for clean-up, that's the developer's responsibility. This law would ensure that foreign developers clean up their mess so that Alaska won't be left holding the bill.
VITAL INFRASTRUCTURE WILL STILL MOVE FORWARD
We recognize that as this state grows and develops, we need to ensure that vital rural infrastructure projects (roads, airports, pipelines and sewer and water facilities) can move forward. That said, we need to make sure that our approaches to development and growth take common-sense precautions are taken to protect the wild salmon so many Alaskans depend on for their way of life.
RESOURCES MUST BE MANAGED RESPONSIBLY
As we work at all levels - local, state, and federal - we’re focused on ensuring policies that truly put into place modern, science-based safety standards and common-sense accountability to protect Alaskan jobs and to help prevent major catastrophes on large-scale development projects that could wipe out huge portions of our state’s wild salmon populations.
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We need to continue to ensure that we balance economic development with salmon habitat protection – creating clear and fair rules that will bring certainty and stability to major development projects in Alaska.