Alaska Peninsula Corp.’s Pebble deal doesn’t reflect views of shareholders, descendants

Last month, the Pebble Limited Partnership announced it reached an agreement with Alaska Peninsula Corp., or APC, for a right-of-way over the Native corporation’s land. PLP is trying to sell the agreement as being a “big step forward for the project” and has cited it as proof that the company has support from Bristol Bay residents. That couldn’t be further from the truth. We are sad to report that the current APC leadership struck this right-of-way agreement with PLP behind closed doors, and the news came as a surprise to us as shareholders and descendants, who stand with the majority of Bristol Bay in opposing this toxic project. We will not sit by silently while APC leadership and Pebble attempt to mislead the public into thinking the people in the region now support the Pebble Project.

Sadly, APC leadership is making decisions about our people’s futures without consulting or even contacting shareholders. They provide information supporting Pebble, which feels like it is being shoved down our throats. Why haven’t they consulted or polled us? Because it is clear that many of our people do not support the Pebble Mine. You only need look at the records from the most recent in-region hearings to see the proof: 94 percent of testimony in Kokhanok and 63 percent of testimony in Newhalen opposed the Pebble Mine. Overall, 90 percent of Bristol Bay residents opposed Pebble at those hearings. In fact, the only person who testified at the Kokhanok hearing in support of the Pebble project was APC’s CEO Dave McAllister, who doesn’t reside in Bristol Bay and is a paid spokesman for the corporation’s leadership. He also did his testimony one-on-one, not in front of the community.

It is no secret in Bristol Bay that some members of APC’s leadership have personally profited from lucrative contracts with PLP. Now it is time for shareholders and descendants to have their voices heard. We are gravely concerned about how the Pebble project and its proposed infrastructure will affect the way of life that has sustained our people on the shores of Lake Iliamna since time immemorial. The fact that APC agreed to give Pebble access to our land and sign our future away without our consent is sickening. We are speaking out not only for our futures, but also for our grandchildren’s sake. It is time for APC to listen to the people they are intended to represent and take into account how shareholders view this project and our futures. Our leadership at APC has lost sight of our values and their responsibility to accurately represent our people. Decisions are now being made with short-term profit in mind, rather than the long-term sustainability of our people.

Many APC shareholders live in communities along the lake. Like our ancestors before us, we get our fresh drinking water directly from Lake Iliamna. We have been able to thrive here because of our pristine lands and waters. We are able to eat many different species of fish the lake provides. We collect eggs on the islands. We have favorite berry patches in the tundra right where PLP wants to build roads. We depend on the lands and waters that Pebble wants to access to hunt moose, seal, caribou and birds. Nearly every mile of proposed infrastructure development would affect our traditional way of life. For generations, we have carefully protected these waters and lands, so much so that in Kokhanok there is a tribal ordinance banning metal berry pickers to protect our tundra for future berry harvests. No profit-sharing system, and no amount of tolls, could ever repay our people for losing access to our traditional way of life if this infrastructure is built on our land. You cannot put a price tag on our identity.

As APC shareholders and descendants, we agree economic development and diversification is vital for our communities. We’d love to talk about sustainable development with APC, but they’ve left shareholders out of the conversation for years. But we know that Pebble Mine is not the answer to our problems. If Pebble is built, we will be trading our homes and our way of life for a Canadian company’s financial gain. APC leadership has no right to make that trade. We truly believe that APC does not have the support of its shareholders for this agreement or any that can harm our land, people and way of life.

Terry D. Mann is a former President of Kokhanok Village Council and current APC shareholder.

Renae Zackar is a descendant of an APC shareholder and lifelong resident of the Lake Iliamna area.

Greg Zackar is a shareholder and lifelong resident of the Lake Iliamna area.

Alice Zackar is an 87-year-old elder and lifelong Iliamna Lake area resident.

Martha Olympic Crow is an Igiugig Tribal Council member, Igiugig Corp. shareholder and Alaska Peninsula Corp. shareholder.

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