Bristol Bay Protection Act

[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 8193 Introduced in House (IH)]

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118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
                                H. R. 8193

To prohibit and restrict certain actions in the Bristol Bay watershed, 
                        and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 1, 2024

 Mrs. Peltola introduced the following bill; which was referred to the 
             Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To prohibit and restrict certain actions in the Bristol Bay watershed, 
                        and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Bristol Bay Protection Act''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The Pebble Mine project proposes to discharge dredged 
        or fill material into waters of the United States, including 
        wetlands, which are subject to the jurisdiction of the Clean 
        Water Act.
            (2) The discharge of dredged or fill material into these 
        waters will have unacceptable adverse effects on municipal 
        water supplies, shellfish beds and fishery areas, wildlife, and 
        recreational areas.
            (3) The Administrator of the Environmental Protection 
        Agency, pursuant to section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act, has 
        prohibited the specification of the project area as a disposal 
        site and has determined that the discharge of dredged or fill 
        material into these waters will have unacceptable adverse 
        effects, including--
                    (A) the loss of approximately 8.5 miles (13.7 km) 
                of documented anadromous fish streams;
                    (B) the loss of approximately 91 miles (147 km) of 
                additional streams that support anadromous fish 
                streams;
                    (C) the loss of approximately 2,108 acres (8.5 km2) 
                of wetlands and other waters that support anadromous 
                fish streams; and
                    (D) adverse impacts on approximately 29 additional 
                miles (46.7 km) of anadromous fish streams resulting 
                from greater than 20 percent changes in average monthly 
                streamflow.
            (4) Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed is an area of 
        unparalleled ecological value, boasting salmon diversity and 
        productivity unrivaled anywhere in North America.
            (5) The region's salmon resources have supported Alaska 
        Native cultures for thousands of years and continue to support 
        one of the last intact salmon-based cultures in the world.
            (6) The Bristol Bay watershed's largely undisturbed aquatic 
        habitats and productive salmon populations create this globally 
        significant ecological and cultural resource.
            (7) People in the Bristol Bay region rely on subsistence 
        resources to provide high-quality foods, foster a healthy 
        lifestyle, and form the basis for social relations. Much of the 
        region's population practices subsistence, with salmon making 
        up a large portion of their diets, and residents are 
        particularly vulnerable to potential changes in salmon 
        abundance.

SEC. 3. CODIFICATION OF FINAL DETERMINATION RELATING TO PEBBLE DEPOSIT 
              AREA.

    The final determination of the Environmental Protection Agency, 
published on February 3, 2023, and titled ``Final Determination To 
Prohibit the Specification of and Restrict the Use for Specification of 
Certain Waters Within Defined Areas as Disposal Sites; Pebble Deposit 
Area, Southwest Alaska'' (88 Fed. Reg. 7441), shall have the force and 
effect of law.
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