Pentagon reports increase in suicide rates among active-duty service members



The Pentagon reported that 344 active-duty members died by suicide in 2019, representing an increase in suicide rates over the past two years. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Suicide rates among active-duty military service members in the United States increased in 2019, the fifth year in a row, according to a report released by the Department of Defense on Thursday.

A total of 498 service members died by suicide in 2019, including 344 active-duty members, the Pentagon said in its Annual Suicide Report.

The active-duty suicides represent a rate of 25.9 per 100,000 service members, up from 24.9 in 2018 and 22.1 in 2017.

"The [calendar year] 2019 suicide rate for the Active Component is statistically comparable to the CY 2017, but not going in the right direction," the Pentagon said.

The department added that suicide rates among the Reserve and National Guard are statistically lower than 2017 and that while overall rates have increased among active-duty members since 2014 they have remained statistically consistent among the Reserve and National Guard members.

Enlisted men under the age of 30 were the most at-risk group according to the data -- they accounted for 61% of all suicides in 2019.

The Pentagon said it developed and began piloting educational and training programs for young and enlisted service members. It also trained more than 2,000 non-medical military providers to provide counseling on "access and safe storage of lethal means" to service members and their families.

"The loss of every life is heartbreaking and each suicide carries a deeply personal story. Every suicide has wide-reaching impacts on families, friends, peers, the broader military community and the nation as a whole," said Elizabeth Van Winkle, executive director of the Office of Force Resiliency.

Data for 2020 is not yet available, but officials said they recognize and are "closely monitoring" the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on death by suicide within the military population.

Amazon has identified more than 19,000 COVID-19 cases among its frontline workers
Tyler Sonnemaker

A worker in a face mask walks by trucks parked at an Amazon facility in Long Island, New York on March 17, 2020. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

Amazon announced in a blog post Thursday that 19,816 of its frontline workers have tested positive for COVID-19.

Amazon said that count came from its "analysis of data on all 1,372,000 Amazon and Whole Foods Market frontline employees" in the US employed at any time from March 1 to September 19.

The company claimed its positive case rate was 42% lower than it would expect based on rates in the general population around its facilities is, but its study has not been independently verified.

Amazon has come under fire repeatedly from workers over its pandemic response, and the company is facing multiple investigations over safety measures and working conditions.

Since the beginning of March, 19,816 Amazon and Whole Foods workers have tested positive for COVID-19, Amazon said in a blog post Thursday.

The company said it conducted "a thorough analysis of data on all 1,372,000 Amazon and Whole Foods Market frontline employees across the U.S. employed at any time from March 1 to September 19, 2020."

Amazon claimed that its positive case rate was 42% lower than rates in the general population — as reported by Johns Hopkins University and while also accounting for the geography and age of its employees.

The company said its calculations were "conservative" on the basis that it included both confirmed and presumptive cases and that not everyone in the general population gets screened for the virus, though Amazon's analysis has not been independently verified.

Amazon said that due to its social distancing measures, paid leave policies, mandatory screenings, and other safety measures and investments, "our employees are at a very low risk of transmission in the workplace."

But workers have told a different story. Frontline employees working for both Amazon and Whole Foods have repeatedly gone on strike, filed whistleblower complaints with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and individual states' workplace safety agencies, sued the company, and reached out to media organizations to draw attention to what they say are unsafe working conditions during the pandemic.

Amazon also has a long history of workers raising the alarm about workplace safety which resurfaced this week with a report from Reveal detailing how the company downplayed injury rates. The company has also aggressively cracked down on whistleblowers, firing multiple employees during the pandemic who spoke out about issues, monitoring their private social media conversations, and using technology to track workers seeking to organize for better conditions and pay.

Amazon says nearly 20,000 workers have tested positive for COVID-19

The company said it is conducting "thousands" of tests each day and plans to expand the rate to 50,000 per day at 650 sites by the end of this month. File Photo by Friedemann Vogel/ EPA-EFE

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- Amazon on Thursday announced that nearly 20,000 of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19 over the past six months.

The company listed the precise tally at 19,816 presumed or confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus among its 1.37 million Amazon and Whole Foods Market employees in the United States between March and mid-September

Amazon said the number of cases were 42% lower than an estimate of 33,952, previously based on analysis of the Amazon and Whole Foods Market workforce against the general population rate.

The company also said it is conducting "thousands" of tests each day and plans to expand the rate to 50,000 per day at 650 sites by the end of this month.
RELATED Gilead Sciences resumes control of remdesivir distribution


There have been at least eight confirmed COVID-19 deaths among Amazon workers this year, but the company did not include deaths in its report.

Labor groups, politicians and regulators have been calling for the retail giant to disclose its COVID-19 figures among its workforce.

Amazon previously declined to specify the numbers, suggesting they would be misleading and lack context. Thursday, it said the number of cases would be "more powerful" if other companies shared similar data.

"We hope other large companies will also release their detailed learnings and case rates because doing so will help all of us," Amazon said. "This is not an arena where companies should compete -- this is an arena where companies should help one another."

Walmart said in April that fewer than 1% of its 1.5 million U.S. employees had tested positive.

In May, workers from Amazon, Instacart, Whole Foods, Walmart, Target and FedEx held a "sickout" strike due to what they described as flawed policies and lack of protective equipment that may expose them to the virus.

GAO to investigate racism in Veterans Administration


U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), shown here on Capitol Hill Sept. 22, has called for an investigation into systemic racism within the Department of Veterans Affairs. Photo by Ken Cedeno/UPI. | License Photo

Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The Government Accountability Office plans to investigate claims of systemic racism within the Department of Veterans Affairs, according to lawmakers.

Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, requested the investigation after an August survey of 1,500 union-affiliated VA employees said nearly 80% of staffers considered racism a moderate or serious issue in the agency.

Half of those who responded to the survey had personally witnessed racism directed at veterans.

"Reports that racism is a serious problem at VA are especially concerning and demand rigorous scrutiny as our country works to confront systemic racism across our institutions ... Racism and racial discrimination at VA must be taken seriously, and the steps to address it must be robust and enduring," said a joint statement from Schatz and Warren

RELATED VA still failing to make timely appointments for patients, report says

The audit is expected to begin in six months.

According to the VA, about 40 percent of the agency's employees are racial minorities, and in 2019 the agency substantiated about 70 claims of equal opportunity violations.

"VA does not tolerate harassment or discrimination in any form," VA spokeswoman Christina Noel said. "The senators' request to GAO is nothing more than a shameful attempt to besmirch the reputations of hundreds of thousands of dedicated career government employees at VA."

RELATED Study of VA patients confirms minorities have higher odds for COVID-19

The American Federation of Government employees, which represents about 270,000 of the 400,000 people who work for the VA, welcomed the investigation.

The union successfully sued the Federal Labor Relations Authority this summer for limiting federal workers' bargaining rights, and has AFGE president Everett Kelley has said the problem of racism within the VA has been exacerbated under President Donald Trump's administration.

Last week Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said top military brass are working to remove identifying information -- including photos but also names and other information that could reveal the applicant's race or gender -- from promotion packets.

RELATED New California law forms panel to examine reparations for slavery

And this summer the Pentagon created a Board on Diversity and Inclusion which is soliciting input from service members via crowdsourcing and other means on the best ways to improve diversity and inclusion within military ranks.

ONE PARTY STATE

Gallup: Record share of Americans prefer one party control White House, Congress

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tears up her copy of the State of the Union address as President Donald Trump finishes during a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on February 4. File Photo by Kevin Dietsch/UPI | License Photo

Oct. 2 (UPI) -- A record plurality of Americans, but not a majority, believe it's best for the United States to have a president and both houses of Congress from the same political party, a Gallup poll showed Friday.

The survey, part of Gallup's annual Governance survey, shows that 41% of U.S. adults said it's better to have the same party control all three facets.

Another 23% said they would rather divided party rule, a president from one party and a Congress from another. Thirty-two percent said they had no preference.

Presently, Republicans hold the White House and the Senate, while Democrats control the House. When President Donald Trump took office in 2017, all three were held by the Republican Party.

RELATED Gallup: Trust in federal gov't to handle problems near all-time low

"The prior high in preferences for one-party government occurred in 2012 [38%] when incumbent President Barack Obama was running for a second term," Gallup wrote.

"One year later, in the midst of a federal government shutdown tied to a dispute over funding the Affordable Care Act, a record-low 25% favored one-party government, with 38% saying it made no difference which parties held the White House and Congress."

Gallup saw an average of 36% who prefer one-party rule, over the past five years -- while 24% favored the parties split control. The 12-point difference had been as close as three points between 2002 and 2014.

RELATED Gallup: Rare majority in U.S. say gov't should do more to solve problems

In Friday's poll, 52% of Republicans and 43% of Democrats said they prefer one-party rule. Thirty-one percent of independents feel the same.

"Americans' preferences for one-party or divided government appear to be rooted in the desire to maximize their party's power more than philosophical considerations about what leads to better political outcomes," Gallup added.

"The poll was conducted before [Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader] Ginsburg's death, so it is unclear whether Americans are any more, or less, likely to favor one-party or divided government today," the polling service said.

Gallup polled more than 1,000 U.S. adults nationwide for the survey earlier this month, which has a margin of error of 4 points.

US presidential election Nuclear-guided planes took off just before Trump’s announcement – timing raised speculation about the purpose of the flights
 

by Bhavi Mandalia  October 2, 2020




Simultaneous flights of these military planes are not in themselves unusual at all.

The United States planes to control nuclear weapons took to the air half an hour before the president Donald Trump reported his coronavirus infection. The matter was discovered by a resident of Hawaii Tim Hogan, who reported the matter on a messaging service on Twitter.

Hogan published his observations on the movements of E-6B Mercury aircraft at 7.19 Finnish time. Trump tweeted about his coronavirus infection at 7.54 Finnish time.

Trump had said he was expecting the results of his test a couple of hours earlier, at 5.44 Finnish time. Based on this, Hogan guessed to start monitoring nuclear weapons control aircraft.

The aviation journalist Forbes also tells about it on his blog.

Event is not in itself rare. Last October, for example, an aviation enthusiast noticed found these machines in the air as many as six at a time. E-6B aircraft have been manufactured 16.

Deputy Director of the Open Nuclear Project, which specializes in nuclear threat monitoring Melissa Hanham drew attention, however, to the fact that two E-6Bs took off: one on the east coast of the United States and one on the west coast.

Hanham considered it possible that the timing was meant to be reminiscent of the U.S. nuclear weapons power. He considers that such a reminder would be in line with the strategy of the Ministry of Defense.

Open Former member of the Bellingcat network specializing in source information, current editor of visual investigative journalism for The New York Times Christiaan Triebert instead, he thought it was still a routine flight. He fatthat if Friday flights are included, the last month during which the E-6B aircraft with identification code AE0414 has been in the air On the 19th and E-6B with identification code AE0415 On the 16th.

The data appears to be monitoring military aviation Ads-b.nl date.

CNN reporter Jim Sciutto In turn, he wrote on Twitter that he has received confirmation that the flights had been planned even before the news of Trump ‘s illness.

Boeingin manufactured E-6B aircraft belong to the U.S. Navy. They have communication systems to control nuclear submarines as well as intercontinental nuclear missiles.

The U.S. President’s wartime flying command system includes several other planes and types of planes designed to receive various commands and control various functions in the air, if the situation required them to be shared by the President and his administration from the President’s Air Force One.

System was originally developed specifically for the nuclear threat, but it can also be exploited in other threat situations if, for some reason, command systems on U.S. soil could not be used.

The machines are commonly referred to in the United States Doomsday planes that is, the machines of doomsday.

President Trump’s coronavirus infection by no means means he is jumping on a plane and responding to the threat of nuclear war.

Nuclear power the president’s state of health is a serious matter, not least because the president is monitored around the clock by an air force officer tasked with carrying and guarding a bag, or bags, called “nuclear weapons football” that contain U.S. nuclear weapon system launch codes.

If necessary, the president must be able to give commands for the use of nuclear weapons in an emergency, even in minutes. Therefore, his state of health must be sufficient for rapid solutions.

The possible spread of coronavirus infection in the presidential chain of command may also be a concern. If the President is unable to perform his duties due to illness, the Constitution provides that they shall be taken over by the Vice-President.

Vice President, Mike Pence was working near Trump this week before Trump ‘s infection was diagnosed, so on Friday day there was still no certainty as to whether Pence had become infected himself.

US tariffs didn’t change China but rejoining Pacific trade pact could: Obama aide

Washington’s tariff hikes have not forced China to reform, former acting deputy trade representative Wendy Cutler says in think tank report

Next president should rejoin the 11-member Asia-Pacific agreement Donald Trump withdrew from in 2017, she argues

Wendy Cutler, the former acting deputy US trade representative, said the US could not counter China by working alone. Photo: Handout

A former US trade official is calling for the next US president to rejoin a trans-Pacific trade agreement as a means to working with like-minded countries and offering an alternative to China’s state capitalism.

Wendy Cutler, who was acting deputy US trade representative under former president Barack Obama, said the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) was still the best way for the United States to redefine global trade and counter China. Her comments came in a report published on Wednesday by think tank the Asia Society Policy Institute, of which she is vice-president.

Formerly the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the CPTPP is one of the world’s largest multilateral free-trade agreements, accounting for 13.5 per cent of global GDP, and was seen by Beijing as a way for the Obama administration to contain China’s rise in the Pacific region.

The agreement was renamed after the
US, under President Donald Trump, withdrew in 2017, and came into force the following year, featuring 11 Asia-Pacific countries: Japan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam.


Trump orders US withdrawal from trans-Pacific trade deal

The report contributed to by Cutler – “Re-engaging the Asia-Pacific on Trade: A TPP road map for the Next US Administration” – urges the next president to explore options for re-engaging with countries about the trade agreement.

“In recent years, the case for US participation in the TPP has only become more compelling as the political and economic importance of the Asia-Pacific region has grown and concerns about Beijing’s economic model have mounted,” Cutler said.

“With no end to tensions with China in sight, there is a growing recognition that the United States would be better off enlisting like-minded countries to rein in
unfair Chinese trade practices and to promote an alternative economic model to state-led capitalism, rather than going it alone. To date, US unilateral tariff hikes and export control restrictions have not led to meaningful Chinese reforms.”
The report suggested four options that the next US administration would have for re-engaging the CPTPP countries on trade: returning to the original TPP agreement, formally acceding to the CPTPP, seeking a broader renegotiation with the CPTPP as a baseline, or working on a narrower sector-specific deal as an immediate, interim step.

Representatives from the 11 CPTPP member countries mark the signing of the agreement in 2018. Photo: AP

Cutler said in the report that renegotiation of the trade deal could be one of the more likely options, with the US revising or adding provisions such as rules on origin, labour, environment and currency manipulation. This option, though time-consuming, could also open the door to expanding the deal for other accession candidates such as South Korea to join and reshape the agreement, Cutler argued.

She said the US can rebuild trust with CPTPP members by first pursuing an interim, sector-specific trade deal on an area such as digital trade, or trade in medical and other essential products in light of the vulnerabilities in supply chains exposed by the
coronavirus pandemic.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: US urged to rejoin Pacific trade agreement

Prairies to be biggest winners of federal infrastructure money

KENNEY CAN QUIT WHINING NOW

By D.C. Fraser, Glacier FarmMedia

Published: October 2, 2020
Crops, News

On Oct. 1, the federal government launched a $10 billion infrastructure plan over three years aimed at five different sectors, including agriculture. The $1.5 billion is expected to result in 700,000 acres of irrigated land. | Mike Raine photo

Prairie provinces will receive the bulk of Ottawa’s $1.5 billion commitment to support irrigation projects, according to federal Minister of Agriculture Marie-Claude Bibeau.

On Oct. 1, the federal government launched a $10 billion infrastructure plan over three years aimed at five different sectors, including agriculture. The $1.5 billion is expected to result in 700,000 acres of irrigated land.

Members of the Liberal Party of Canada say the investment, being funnelled through the Canada Infrastructure Bank, will create 60,000 jobs.

“The 1.5 billion that is dedicated to agriculture will most likely be dedicated to the Prairies and the West, because we are targeting major irrigation projects and I think there are opportunities for investment in this sector in the Prairies and this is why the bank has already started significant discussions with the provinces, the municipalities, the private sector to see how we could move forward,” said Bibeau. “Most probably, the Prairies will benefit the lion’s share from this part of the investment.”

She stopped short of mentioning specific projects, but Saskatchewan’s $4 billion Lake Diefenbaker irrigation project is a top candidate to receive federal support.

Saskatchewan’s government announced earlier this year plans to spend 10 years working on the project that would allow farmers to irrigate 500,000 acres.

In September, the federal Western Economic Diversification Canada agency recommended Ottawa help fund the Diefenbaker irrigation project, contending the completed project would add $85 billion to Canada’s gross domestic product and $20 billion in tax returns back to government.

While targeted to the agriculture sector, the project is also expected to be beneficial for the potash industry.

Adding to the likelihood of federal support is the role former Liberal cabinet member and Saskatchewan MP Ralph Goodale continues to play within party circles, he is a long-time advocate for the project and a respected voice in party circles.

Scott Moe, who is running in the current Saskatchewan election to continue to serve as premier, said he was given a heads-up on the announcement.

“I hope this is positive news. There is some money ear-marked for the irrigation project, irrigation projects,” he told reporters in Regina. “We have a significant irrigation

investment that will be coming here in the province of Saskatchewan.”

“We will be looking at the details of this very soon,” he said, adding he hopes it is an investment rather than a loan through the infrastructure bank.

Ottawa’s announcement also contained a $2 billion commitment to expanding high-speed broadband access. In the recent Throne Speech, the government said it wanted to improve internet access in rural and remote communities.

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture said in a news release it was “encouraged” by the funding announcement.

“Rural broadband has been a long-standing issue for Canada’s farmers and rural communities. With the arrival of COVID-19, many services pivoted to become entirely online, highlighting the fact farmer’s lack of high-speed connectivity puts us at a significant business disadvantage.

“Rural broadband is not only necessary for today’s farmers to conduct business and take advantage of cutting-edge technology, it is also critical to attracting new, young farmers into the industry,” said CFA president Mary Robinson in a statement.

 

Mauritius oil spill cleanup efforts gets funding boost

By

Shem Oirere

October 1, 2020

Weeks after the Mauritius government ordered fishermen to keep away from the country’s beaches and lagoons due to the oil spill that has impacted the coastal Blue Bay, the African Development Bank (AfDB) has announced a USD 500,000 (EUR 429,118) emergency assistance grant to support international recovery efforts in cleaning up the oil spill that has drawn global attention.

Mauritius, which has one of the largest Exclusive Economic Zones of all countries in Southern and East Africa at 1.28 million square kilometers, is likely to utilize the bank’s financing in support of ongoing cleanup operations to pave the way for a quick resumption of fishing operations and other blue economy activities.

The oil spill incident involved a Japanese vessel, MV Wakashio that spilled nearly 1,000 metric tons of oil off the coast of Mauritius last July.

The bank says the funding, which has been drawn from the Special Relief Fund, “will complement ongoing activities by the government of Mauritius, development partners, and other actors to undertake salvaging and cleaning operations, conduct damage and loss assessments, along with other socio-economic evaluations.”

According to AfDB’s Director for Agriculture and Agro-industry Martin Fregene, the grant “is an important contribution to the International Recovery effort towards restoring the pristine marine ecology, so important for livelihoods in the blue economy and tourism sectors, which is now threatened by the unfortunate oil spill.”

Meanwhile, international non-governmental organization, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), had previously termed the oil spill “tragic and preventable incident.”

It said the Mauritius tragedy joins growing list of marine accidents in the Southwestern Indian Ocean region, “including a phosphate spill in southern Madagascar in August 2009, and the mass stranding of dolphins in 2008 following underwater seismic sounding by Exxon Mobil in northwestern Madagascar.”

 “This oil spill is a severe threat to critical ecological resources, including coral reefs, fish, and other coastal and marine life of the southeast coast of Mauritius,” WWF Madagascar Country Director Nanie Ratsifandrihamanana said in a release. “The impact on 2,300 artisanal fishermen and women and the 1.5 percent of Mauritius’ GDP derived from the fishing industry are devastating.”

Although Mauritius is yet to avail precise data on the impact of the oil spill on its fishing industry, the incident comes at a time when the country, with a per capita fish consumption of 23.2 kilograms per-person per-year, is implementing a raft of measures to harness its blue economy potential.

For example, Finance, Economic Planning and Development minister Dr. Renganaden Padayachy recently said Mauritius will, in the 2020/2021 financial year, focus on wooing investments in joint ventures engaged in fishing activities and its value chain as part of its post COVID-19 recovery scheme. The country is also finalizing plans to set up an inland aquaculture scheme that comes with an 8-year tax holiday and exemption on payment of duties and VATs on imported aquaculture equipment.

Mauritius has also increased the daily rate of the bad weather allowance to fishermen from MUR 365 (USD 8.90 EUR 7.70) to MUR 425 (USD 10.40 EUR 8.90).

During the 2019/2020 financial year Mauritius announced plans to set up an “online and physical fish auction market will be set up to act as an interface between local fishermen, fishing companies and buyers both local and international.”

Mauritius is also seeking to “consolidate and diversify our fisheries and seafood industry” through a stock assessment “to better manage and protect species such as lobsters, squid and other small commercial pelagic fish.”

Photo courtesy of International Maritine Organization

Shem Oirere

Contributing Editor

 shem@shemoirere.com

RUSSIA

Norilsk Nickel has estimated the costs of eliminating the consequences of the accident at 12 billion rubles

THERE ARE NO 'ACCIDENTS' 

THEY ARE PREVENTABLE INCIDENTS

 by Bhavi Mandalia September 30, 2020


Norilsk Nickel spent about 12 billion rubles to eliminate the consequences of the accident at TPP-3 in Norilsk. This was announced on Wednesday, September 30, by the company.

“The company currently estimates the total cost of cleaning at about 12 billion rubles (about $ 150 million),” – leads TASS Message text.

On September 15, Norilsk Nickel presented a plan for reclamation of lands damaged after the fuel spill near Norilsk. As a result of reclamation, it is planned to restore the land to a state that meets the requirements of Russian legislation.


On the same day, Andrei Grachev, Vice President of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel, said that 400,000 sq. M. Were processed in the framework of the emergency response in Norilsk. m of the territory of the pollution zone.

The accident at TPP-3 in Norilsk occurred on May 29. About 20 thousand tons of fuel spilled due to the depressurization of the diesel storage tank, which occurred against the background of a sudden subsidence of the supports. Oil products got into two rivers – Ambarnaya and Daldykan. After that, a federal emergency was declared in the incident zone, and the liquidation of the accident began.

On the fact of the incident, several criminal cases were initiated at once, which were combined into one proceeding. In particular, we are talking about cases of violation of environmental protection rules during the performance of work (Art. 246 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation), damage to land (part 1 of Art. 254 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) and water pollution (Art. 250 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation).

In early August, Norilsk Nickel presented to the Public Chamber of Russia a draft of a plan to eliminate an emergency with a fuel spill in Norilsk, developed jointly with a commission under the Ministry of Natural Resources. The document provides for work until 2025. At the same time, the metallurgical company announced its plans to challenge the amount of damage, while confirming its obligations to eliminate the consequences of the accident at its own expense.

 Pebble probe: Cantwell calls on US Justice Department to investigate

By

National Fisherman

October 1, 2020

U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) called for a federal investigation of the testimony and documents submitted by Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier and other executives in support of the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay region.

On Tuesday, 29 September, Cantwell called for a Justice Department investigation into possible discrepancies between comments made by Collier and Donald Thiessen, president and CEO of Pebble's parent company Northern Dynasty Minerals, on a series of recorded video calls and how they characterized the project’s scope and plans in legally binding federal documents, as well as in congressional testimony. 

The Pebble Tapes, as they are being called, resulted in Collier's resignation as CEO of the Pebble Partnership. 

“The Pebble Tapes make one thing very clear: The Pebble Limited Partnership will stop at nothing to build their disastrous mine, even if it means lying on their permit application, deceiving their investors, or possibly perjuring themselves in front of Congress," Cantwell said in a statement released on Tuesday, 29 September. "The Department of Justice should investigate what is disclosed in these disturbing Pebble Tapes."

Collier testified at a House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee hearing in October 2019 that “Pebble has no current plans, in this application or in any other way, for expansion."

The tapes, however, "reveal Pebble’s apparent plans to use the infrastructure included in its mine plan to open up other expansive [swaths] of western Alaska to mining, including through the activation of the Donlin Mine, a project that already has federal permits and could become economically viable overnight if the Pebble project is approved," the Environmental Investigation Agency said when it released the tapes.

“Bristol Bay is grateful for Senator Maria Cantwell’s call for action. She continues to be a much appreciated champion for our fishery," United Tribes of Bristol Bay Executive Director Alannah Hurley said.

Hurley testified at the same October 2019 hearing that is now under scrutiny. Collier also submitted written testimony for the hearing. 

In response to the Pebble Tapes, U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (both R-Alaska), denied silently acquiescing to the project, as suggested in the recordings. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy, also a Republican, said Collier and Thiessen had "embellished their relationships with state and federal officials."

However, none of Alaska's delegation has called for further action in response to the tapes, and neither senators' offices responded to requests for comment by press time.

Cantwell's call for an investigation "makes the inaction of our own Alaskan senators even more notable and disappointing, their words are meaningless without action," Hurley added. "We need them to step up now for Alaskans and act to stop this toxic mine from devastating the Bristol Bay fishery.”

This is not the first time Cantwell has called for an investigation into Pebble. In 2013, she requested the Securities and Exchange Commission investigate whether the company misled investors with contradictory statements in company filings. In January 2014, she called on the administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama to protect Bristol Bay after a report showed the proposed mine would threaten salmon runs, thereby and damaging the region's commercial, subsistence, and recreational fishing sectors. Those protections were drawn down under the Trump administration, which allowed the permitting process to continue.

Photo courtesy of Jerry Fraser/National Fisherman

National Fisherman

National Fisherman is an online resource for commercial fishing professionals, providing access to the latest news and information about the commercial marine industry in a single place.