Celebrity Chefs Lead Effort To Push EPA To Save Alaska Fishery, Block Mine

A number of high-profile chefs are leading an effort to push the Environmental Protection Agency to block a new open-pit gold and copper mine that could dump toxic waste into an Alaska fishery.

Nearly 200 people –- including chefs Tom Colicchio, Alice Waters, Mark Bittman, Barton Seaver and Nora Pouillon –- sent a letter on Tuesday to EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson, urging her to use the agency's authority under the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay from large-scale mining and development. More wild salmon come from Bristol Bay than any other place on earth.

At a press conference at Equinox Restaurant on Tuesday, chefs kicked off the week-long Save Bristol Bay Week. More than 20 restaurants will serve Bristol Bay salmon in the Washington area, to demonstrate the culinary value of the sustainable fishery. In addition, Alaska Natives, commercial fishing groups, hunters and anglers are meeting with legislators and agency officials in Washington, to ask for protection of Bristol Bay.

"Bristol Bay is our nation's largest and most valuable wild salmon fishery, making it a critical food and revenue source for the United States," says Todd Gray, chef and co-owner of Equinox Restaurant. "A huge open-pit mine in the Bristol Bay region could eliminate a source of healthy, sustainable fish from our menus."

The EPA has the authority under Section 404(C) of the Clean Water Act to protect public waters from large-scale mining activity, supporters of the fishery say.

The agency took the first step toward protecting the Bristol Bay watershed in southwest Alaska on Feb. 7, when the agency announced plans to initiate a scientific study of the Bristol Bay watershed to better understand how future large-scale development projects could affect Bristol Bay's water quality, fisheries, and communities.

"Alaska residents and salmon fishermen are so grateful for the support from our nation's food and restaurant industries to protect our last great salmon fishery, Bristol Bay's communities, and a way of life that has existed for thousands of years," says Tim Bristol, director of Trout Unlimited's Alaska Program. "We are confident that after the science and other public input are considered, the EPA and the Obama Administration will join Alaska Natives, chefs, restaurant owners, anglers, and hunters to protect the extraordinary region and its fisheries."

Bristol Bay supports a roughly $450 million a year fishing and tourism industry and sustains about 12,000 jobs. Based on preliminary plans, the proposed Pebble Mine would dig an open- pit gold and copper mine up to two miles wide and 1,700 feet deep, opponents of the mine say.

Operated by multi-national mining companies, this mine could dump up to 10 billion tons of toxic waste in the heart of the Bristol Bay watershed, they say. This area is known for frequent earthquakes, which puts the watershed –- and all its fish and wildlife -- at an even greater risk for long-term toxic pollution and catastrophic damage, the mine opponents say.

Watch more breaking news now on our video feed:

Bookmark The Washington Current and drop back in for more news from the nation's capital.