The potential for an ever-expanding mine footprint and the potential for development of nearby claims made feasible by Pebble's infrastructure -create uncertainty and stress about the extent to which mining will transform the Bristol Bay landscape and the lives of its residents. Pebble's draft Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, misleads the public by presenting a mining footprint - and mine life far smaller and shorter than the mega-mine necessary to attract investors and move towards development. The perceived risk related to large-scale mining development is real too. Alaskans' experience with the oil spill was real.?
The communities of Bristol Bay today, much like the communities of Prince William Sound before and after the spill, are confronted with uncertainty related to large-scale environmental change. Apart from the inevitable damage to the natural environment, the Exxon Valdez experience suggests that the spill also contaminated the social environment with wide-ranging mental health consequences. Research also showed an increase in reported substance abuse and domestic violence, a decline in social relations, an increase of social conflict, and a perceived decline in overall public health. Similarly, Alaska Natives and commercial fishermen who lost their livelihoods and important cultural resources showed a significant increase and prevalence of psychiatric disorders. Studies conducted after the oil spill found that people engaged in clean up were more likely to suffer from generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and depression. Little has been told about the mental distress communities of the Gulf of Alaska experienced. Most of the reporting then, as now, focused on the toll it took on the environment and how Alaskans responded. Just two months ago, Alaskans remembered the 30th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, the largest environmental disaster in the state's history.
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