Our work in action

Getting the Trump Administration to say NO to a new Alaska mine

For nearly two decades, a diverse cross-section of local communities in and around Bristol Bay, Alaska have been fighting to stop the proposed Pebble Mine. The mine would cause significant damage to the region’s iconic sockeye salmon fishery and its billion-dollar fishing economy. It became a national touchpoint and political football in the process, with prominent NGOs on both sides of the debate weighing in on the proposed mine.

Lewis has worked with various members of the coalition for more than 13 years, across three administrations. While his primary work is media relations and communications, he has also been heavily involved in the legislative strategy and grasstops/coalition management. 

Over the years, the needs and focus of the campaign shifted – from the state to the federal government and back again, to Congress, and across multiple agencies. Interest and focus from the media also ebbed and flowed. Whatever the challenge, the campaign did not close any door and adjusted accordingly to ensure maximum effectiveness. Lewis worked to keep his client, the Bristol Bay Native Corporation (BBNC), and its position on this issue clear while maintaining overall brand integrity. This project was an “all-hands-on-deck” effort over multiple years, requiring constant collaboration and synchronization of activities across our firm and departments.   

In November of 2020—in what was a surprise to many outside of the campaign—the Trump Administration denied the key federal permit for the Pebble Mine. In January 2022, the Biden Administration dealt another blow to the project with it used a rarely invoked Clean Water Act provision to severely restrict mining development in the Bristol Bay region. Though mine backers continue to appeal, the prospects the Pebble Mine will get built are lower than ever. The campaign worked in large part because it always put local voices first and made it clear Pebble Mine wasn’t an industry vs. environment fight; it was about protecting an existing economy and way of life in one of the most precious places on the planet.  

Today, Lewis continues to work with BBNC in efforts to ensure that Pebble Mine will never get built, including on federal legislation that would permanently prohibit large-scale mining development in the Bristol Bay region.