Just another failing of our *enlightened* government - we allow foreign countries to come in and clean us out of our resources under the guise of "We're creating jobs!" Meanwhile, we're losing jobs in the fishing and tourism industry because of the damage caused. It's all a shell game, and we the public are left holding the tab. The fact that the executive of the consortium can say "Eh, big deal" is akin to spitting in our faces. He doesn't care about anything but his bottom line, but I guess that's what we should expect from our titans of industry. Who cares about the common good -- we have money to make!!

it will take our government to stop this, but i think we all know that aint gonna happen, like walt said.

Actually, it is a big deal.
Zale is a major player in the global jewelry industry – a sector not generally known for biting the hand that feeds it – that is, mining companies. But in the case of Pebble, Zale is just the latest in a growing list of jewelers who have decided Pebble is the kind of mining proposal that gives responsible mining a bad name. Because the mine is to be sited up the watershed that feeds Bristol Bay – near Lake Iliamna, the largest fresh water body in all of Alaska -- this mega-mine would endanger one of the most productive salmon fisheries in the world and everything that depends on it, from Native communities to commercial and recreational fisheries to wildlife species, both marine and terrestrial. It makes no sense to gamble with an existing renewable resource like Alaska’s incomparable salmon fishery – a resource that generates an estimated $400 million each year and thousands of jobs for Alaskans – in favor of a mining scheme devised by a consortium of foreign companies who would enrich themselves even if it means risking the livelihood of Bristol Bay residents.
Zale’s announcement is important, although Mr. Shively may not want to admit it, because of the signal it sends to potential investors, to elected officials, and to the public generally. There is a growing tide of broad-based opposition to the Pebble Mine, and it should be abandoned – now.

I was just in bristol bay and its not worth runing for gold that people wont even buy.