White House: 5 Things You Need to Know About Alaska's Bristol Bay

[steve2470]

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2014/12/16/5-things-you-need-know-about-alaskas-bristol-bay

video at link

President Obama just took action to protect one of Alaska's most powerful economic engines and one of America’s greatest national treasures: Bristol Bay.

Today, he signed a Presidential Memorandum that withdraws these beautiful and pristine waters from all future oil and gas drilling. "These waters are too special and too valuable to auction off to the highest bidder," the President said.

Here are five things you need to know about Bristol Bay:

1. BRISTOL BAY PROVIDES 40 PERCENT OF AMERICA'S WILD-CAUGHT SEAFOOD.

Bristol Bay is one of the world's most valuable fisheries, providing 40 percent of America's seafood and supporting up to $2 billion in commercial fishing every year.



2. BRISTOL BAY HOSTS ONE OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST WILD SALMON RUNS.
While remote, this area is also an economic engine for tourism in Alaska. Bristol Bay drives $100 million in recreational fishing and tourism activity every year.




3. BRISTOL BAY IS HOME TO MULTIPLE THREATENED SPECIES.
Bristol Bay provides important habitat for many species, including the threatened Stellar's eider, sea otters, seals, walruses, Beluga and Killer whales, and the endangered North Pacific Right Whale.



4. THE PRESIDENT'S ACTION PROTECTS MILLIONS OF ACRES FROM DRILLING.
The North Aleutian Basin Planning Area that includes Bristol Bay consists of about 32.5 million acres. The previous Administration set in motion a new lease sale for 2011 that would have opened approximately 5.6 million acres -- about one-fifth of the planning area -- for drilling. In 2010, President Obama temporarily withdrew the Bristol Bay area from oil and gas development, and today's action extends that protection indefinitely.



5. PRESIDENT OBAMA IS NOT THE ONLY PRESIDENT TO USE HIS EXECUTIVE AUTHORITY TO PROTECT LANDS.
The President issues his temporary withdrawal in 2010 using his authority under section 12 of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, which gives the president authority to withdraw offshore areas from potential oil and gas leasing. President Eisenhower was the first to exercise the authority in 1960, withdrawing an area now included in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Since then, presidents on both sides of the aisle have acted to withdraw areas of the Outer Continental Shelf from oil and gas leasing.



Sorry, I'm so used to excerpts, forgot this is public content on whitehouse.gov

[spanone]

1. Thank you Mr. President!!! k&r....

[jberryhill]

2. 5. The kids there are not actually sharp as a pistol

[djean111]

4. oh, that brings back memories! Also - fantastic that Obama did this!

[Control-Z]

3. I haven't read the rest

but number 1 alone is reason enough for me. There is nothing as good as wild caught seafood. No meat of any kind comes close. And even preferring vegetables most of the time, I've actually mourned the expected loss of good healthy seafood.

Big K&R

[treestar]

5. Beautiful place

Glad it will be preserved.

[panader0]

6. Recommended

[Blue_In_AK]

7. This is a good first step,

but he also needs to make sure that the proposed Pebble Mine is never developed.
A federal judge has just ordered the EPA to stand down.
http://www.savebiogems.org/stop-pebble-mine/

[bigwillq]

8. K and R

[MineralMan]

9. Just like a Republican, eh?

Thank you, Mr. President!

[Cha]

10. Beautiful place on Earth, Steve.. thank you for the pics.. this kind of news needs pictures!

Mahalo Thanks Obama!

[AtheistCrusader]

11. 6. Sarah Palin is going to have an awkward time coming up with slogans to support drilling Bristol

[hopemountain]

12. this action by our president

is a beautiful thing. the bristol bay and the life that springs from there is a treasure deserving to be protected.

[Jamaal510]

13. Now I know the secret

how Sarah Palin came up with the name for her daughter.

[freshwest]

14. Protecting a beautiful place that gives life. No apologies needed, Steve!

[freshwest]

15. VIDEO:

In which Obama explains it better.

This is a blow against corporatism and puts people and the environment ahead of profits and stealing from future generations.

Excellent work, President Obama!