Fisheries Chair Bryce Edgmon delivering opening statements at the House Fisheries & Senate Resources hearing for the Pebble

House Fisheries Committee Chair Bryce Edgmon(3rd from left), D-Dillingham, delivering his opening remarks today during the joint House Fisheries and Senate Resources Committee hearing on the proposed Pebble mineral prospect. The committees invited officials from the AK Dept. of Natural Resources, the Pebble Partnership, Univ. of Washington, and former Senate President Rick Halford to answer questions covering the risks, lessons learned from lower 48 mines, statutory/regulatory analysis, and legislative review and oversight. The hearing served as a preliminary review of the Alaska Board of Fish request for a comprehensive evaluation of large-mine permitting and standards for the protection of fish and game habitat in the Bristol Bay watershed.