Post by flyfishingpastor on Dec 26, 2008 10:04:46 GMT -5
Monica;
The Pebble Mine scenario is looked at as a major environmental test case by not only sportsmen/environmentalists but also by state and federal governments and international commercial interests that do biz with the US. There is a LOT riding on approval/disapproval of this Mine.
If you have followed any of the current environmental/fishery battles like those involving forrestry/strip mining interests in WV or the oil/gas drilling in MI or even the aquifer pollution here in IN, you know that there is a very common thread that runs through each of them. The big business interests move into a state, pay a minimal license fee to the state, pledge they will bring major jobs and tax revenue into the area and, oh yeah, will be very careful with sensitive resource areas like watersheds. Then they pillage the natural resources and almost invariably some disasters happen. The companies say, whoops, are charged a ridiculously inadquate penalty which they usually tie up in the courts for years while they move on. In WV, my home state, we have lost 80% of our historic brookie watersheds due to deforestation and acid mine run offs and the perpetrators have paid nearly nothing in cleanup costs - the tax payers, federal and state have to do that AND once destroyed, you can never replace what once existed. In WV, they have cleaned up some of the streams to the place they will support a limited stocked trout population and say "Here, this is almost as good." Stocked trout will never replace a wild, naturally reproducing population of gorgeous brook trout.
Anyway, this dvd tells both sides of the issue and has some beautiful footage of Alaska to boot. Since we've had some recent forum conversation about conservation, I thought it might be worth seeing from this perspective.
Pat
The Pebble Mine scenario is looked at as a major environmental test case by not only sportsmen/environmentalists but also by state and federal governments and international commercial interests that do biz with the US. There is a LOT riding on approval/disapproval of this Mine.
If you have followed any of the current environmental/fishery battles like those involving forrestry/strip mining interests in WV or the oil/gas drilling in MI or even the aquifer pollution here in IN, you know that there is a very common thread that runs through each of them. The big business interests move into a state, pay a minimal license fee to the state, pledge they will bring major jobs and tax revenue into the area and, oh yeah, will be very careful with sensitive resource areas like watersheds. Then they pillage the natural resources and almost invariably some disasters happen. The companies say, whoops, are charged a ridiculously inadquate penalty which they usually tie up in the courts for years while they move on. In WV, my home state, we have lost 80% of our historic brookie watersheds due to deforestation and acid mine run offs and the perpetrators have paid nearly nothing in cleanup costs - the tax payers, federal and state have to do that AND once destroyed, you can never replace what once existed. In WV, they have cleaned up some of the streams to the place they will support a limited stocked trout population and say "Here, this is almost as good." Stocked trout will never replace a wild, naturally reproducing population of gorgeous brook trout.
Anyway, this dvd tells both sides of the issue and has some beautiful footage of Alaska to boot. Since we've had some recent forum conversation about conservation, I thought it might be worth seeing from this perspective.
Pat