People gather for a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. The rally was organized by The Alaska Center, an Anchorage-based environmental organization. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

People gather for a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. The rally was organized by The Alaska Center, an Anchorage-based environmental organization. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Rally asks senators to stop permit process funding

Rally asks senators to stop permit process funding

Six rallies around the state this week have one purpose — spurring Alaska’s U.S. senators and representative to stop Pebble Mine permitting.

The U.S. House of Representative passed an amendment last week that would suspend funding for permitting for the Proposed Pebble Mine project near Bristol Bay, and a rally held outside Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office Tuesday is part of a statewide push to get the Senate to do the same.

[Live: Coverage of Pebble Mine rally]

“We need to send a message to the Trump administration, and we need to send them back to the drawing board,” said Lindsey Bloom, representative for Commercial Fisherman For Bristol Bay.

Patrick Kearney gathers for a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Patrick Kearney gathers for a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Bloom said those who oppose Pebble Mine are particularly hoping to prompt action from Murkowski, who previously wrote to the Corps of Engineers requesting an extension for public comment period on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

“We understand this is an extraordinary weight to put on one person, but that said her voice is powerful, and she speaks for so many of us and the thousands of smaller voices across Alaska who are opposed to this project and concerned about the process we’ve been given,” Bloom said. “We are asking her to channel our voices, so that we can be heard in Washington, D.C. Unlike so many modern politicians, she is and can be truly beholden to the people of Alaska. We are fortunate to have a Senator who holds to her principles.”

Lindsey Bloom of Salmon State gives a speech at the “No Pebble Mine” rally. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Lindsey Bloom of Salmon State gives a speech at the “No Pebble Mine” rally. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Murkowski’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Sullivan’s office also did not immediately respond.

[Opinion: Pebble Mine is bad for business and worse for America’s outdoor heritage]

Mike Heatwole, spokesperson for Pebble Partnership, which was established in 2007 to design, permit, construct and operate the proposed mine, said encouraging the senators to act in a way that would pull funding from the permitting process undermines the purpose of National Environmental Policy Act, which requires federal agencies to assess environmental effects of proposed projects.

“We’re certainly hopeful the Senate will stand up for NEPA and keep politics out of permitting,” Heatwole said.

Opponents of the project opined the Corps of Engineers is politicized under the Trump Administration.

“I think that’s a charge when you don’t like the outcome,” Heatwole said.

During Tuesday’s rally, a lot of the criticism levied at the mine focused on its environmental impact and a sentiment that the scope of its negative impact on the environment — specifically salmon runs — hasn’t been fully taken into account.

”The process is completely bankrupt and Sen. Murkowski needs to turn it around,” said Frank Rue, former commissioner for Alaska Department of Fish and Game, who spoke during the rally. “It is not possible to develop this mine without destroying the salmon runs in Bristol Bay.”

[Scientists: Pebble Mine study doesn’t account for all risks]

Bloom said no amount of engineering will change the mine’s proximity to a salmon spawn spot and wetlands.

Heatwole said more than a decade has been spent researching how the proposed mine will impact the environment.

“We understand fully the cultural and commercial importance of salmon in the Bristol Bay region,” Heatwole said.

Protecting the fish was chief concern shared by Nola Lamken, Juneau resident, and Guy Archibald, staff scientist for Southeast Alaska Conservation Council. Both were among the roughly 40 rally-goers in attendance.

People gather for a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. The rally was organized by The Alaska Center, an Anchorage-based environmental organization. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

People gather for a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday, June 25, 2019. The rally was organized by The Alaska Center, an Anchorage-based environmental organization. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Archibald said he worries about consistent incremental stress on the environment, which he compared to death by 1,000 cuts.

He said constant activity at the mine would mean the environment would not have a chance to recover from the strain.

“It’s the wrong mine in the wrong place,” Archibald said. “We don’t need more metal in our lives. We can’t trade fish for more metal.”

Joe Geldhof speaks against Pebble Mine. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Joe Geldhof speaks against Pebble Mine. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Wrong mine, wrong place is a common refrain among those who oppose the mine. It’s a near-quote of late Sen. Ted Stevens. It was used by Joe Geldhof, who spoke during the rally, to indicate opposing the mine isn’t just a cause among liberal environmentalists.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Geldhof said. “This is not a Southeast issue. This is an Alaska issue.”

Public comment for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Draft Environmental Impact Statement closes Monday, and those at the rally said they hope elected officials make their voices heard before that window closes.

[Sitka TV show to start shooting soon]

“In just a matter of days, Senators Murkowski and Sullivan will have lost the opportunity to speak up for Alaskans on Pebble Mine for this federal permit,” Bloom said. “The time is now.

She said a signal from senators that there are concerns about providing permitting to the mine would likely lead to a stall in the permitting process.

Protesters said it would also let vocal Alaskans know they’re being heard.

“Does she represent the state of Alaska or a foreign mining company?” Archibald asked.


• Contact reporter Ben Hohenstatt at (907)523-2243 or bhohenstatt@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @BenHohenstatt.


Judy Cavanaugh stands with others at a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Judy Cavanaugh stands with others at a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office on Tuesday. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

More in News

Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, speaks at a town hall meeting in the Moose Pass Sportsman’s Club in Moose Pass, Alaska, on Friday, Feb. 28, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Insurance authorization bill sponsored by Bjorkman, Ruffidge becomes law

The bill requires insurance companies and health care providers to meet new deadlines for authorizing requests for care.

A map of the Johnson Tract Mine exploration project. Photo courtesy of the Center for Biological Diversity
Inletkeeper, partners file lawsuit against Cook Inlet gold mine

The Johnson Tract Mine is located on CIRI-owned lands inside Lake Clark National Park.

A sockeye salmon is carried from the waters of Cook Inlet on North Kenai Beach in Kenai, Alaska, during the first day of the Kenai River personal use dipnet fishery on Thursday, July 10, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Kenai River dipnet fishery open 24 hours beginning Friday night

Per fish counts available from the department, 471,000 sockeye have been counted so far this year — with 108,000 counted on Wednesday alone.

Attorneys Eric Derleth and Dan Strigle speak to Superior Court Judge Kelly Lawson during the opening arguments of State of Alaska v. Nathan Erfurth at the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Opening arguments offered in Erfurth trial

The trial is set to continue for around two weeks, into early August.

Evacuees in Seward, Alaska, walk along Adams Street following a tsunami warning on Wednesday, July 16, 2025. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Tsunami warning canceled following 7.3 earthquake near Sand Point

An all clear was issued for Kachemak Bay communities at 1:48 p.m. by the Kenai Peninsula Borough Office of Emergency Management.

The Ninilchik River on May 18, 2019, in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)
Ninilchik River to remain closed to king salmon fishing

It was an “error in regulation” that would have opened the Ninilchik River to king salmon fishing on Wednesday.

A table used by parties to a case sits empty in Courtroom 4 of the Kenai Courthouse in Kenai, Alaska, on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Nikiski woman sentenced to 4 years in prison for 2023 drug death

Lawana Barker was sentenced for her role in the 2023 death of Michael Rodgers.

Alaska State Troopers logo.
Seward resident arrested after Monday night police pursuit

Troopers say she led them on a high-speed chase on Kalifornsky Beach Road for around 7 miles.

Most Read