The latest round of polling on Alaskans’ attitudes toward the controversial Pebble Mine project shows that most Alaskans favor long-term protections for the Bristol Bay watershed.
The polling was released last week by the Bristol Bay Defense Fund, a coalition of tribes, businesses and other groups opposed to Pebble Mine, and was conducted by Moore Information Group. It was conducted with 500 phone interviews between June 2 and June 10, 2023, nearly two months before Gov. Mike Dunleavy made a direct appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court to revive the project.
In a memo summarizing the results, 74% of all voters who participated in the survey say they are concerned with protecting Bristol Bay from large-scale mining. That includes nearly all Democratic (92%), non-partisan (83%) and undeclared voters (79%), as well as a slim majority of Republican voters (54%). A similar breakdown spanned the political philosophy spectrum, with most liberals supporting protections while a slight majority of conservatives did.
Alaskans ‘ support was less strong when it came to durable legislative protections for Bristol Bay, such as those suggested by U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
According to the polling memo, 63% of all voters support legislative protections for Bristol Bay. Again, support is strong among Democratic (89%), non-partisan (69%) and undeclared voters (70%). Support among Republicans, though, drops below a majority, with just 41% saying that legislative protections are needed for the project.
The EPA vetoed the Pebble Mine project earlier this year, finding that it threatened irreparable damage to the Bristol Bay watershed and salmon habitat. While the outcome of halting the mine was widely applauded, the preemptive veto drew criticism from even Sen. Murkowski, who said it raised concerns about other development in Alaska.
The Dunleavy administration has appealed the decision directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. While other elected officials in Alaska have tried to walk the fine line between opposing Pebble Mine and generally supporting development, the governor has supported the mine throughout his term, which included an effort to lobby former President Donald Trump to greenlight the project (Trump eventually had a change of heart, too, and ultimately halted the project during his time in office).
In a statement accompanying the release of the polling results, Alannah Hurley, the executive director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, said the results show just how out of touch the governor is on Pebble Mine.
“There is resounding and enduring support across parties and the state for protecting Bristol Bay’s waters, thriving salmon fishery, and our people and Tribes that call this special place home. Governor Dunleavy’s lawsuit challenging the EPA’s Clean Water Act protections ignores what Alaskans want and is another example he is willing to waste state resources to try and save a failing foreign mining company,” she said. “Our people have stewarded Bristol Bay for countless generations, and we will not rest until our watershed is permanently protected. We need our leaders to listen to the majority of Alaskans and take swift action to protect Bristol Bay forever. There’s no time to waste.”
Polling memo
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Twitter.