It is important to balance the tradeoffs between protecting nature and having enough of the critical minerals we use to create green technology. However, I was happy to see that the Environmental Protection Agency blocked plans for a copper and gold mine in Alaska to protect a critical sockeye salmon fishery, (“Pebble Mine in Alaska Vetoed by Feds Over Salmon Fishery Concerns,” Jan 31). We cannot allow ourselves to destroy the very lands we’re trying to protect as we transition to green energy.
This is only the 14th time in the 50-year history of the Clean Water Act that the EPA has used its right to block plans due to potential harm to our waters, including fisheries. I hope that we will continue seeing the federal government take decisive action on protecting our natural lands and fighting climate change. Protecting this critical fishery is a great place to start; a great next step would be passing a tax on carbon, along with clean energy permit reforms. We must call on our leaders in government to take action now. There is no time to wait.
Richard Holgate, Milwaukie
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