Alaska Salmon Protection Act Reinstatement

Alaska Fish Habitat Policy.
Because wild salmon are critically important to Alaska's communities, economies and cultures, it is the policy of the State of Alaska to:
(a) ensure sustainable fisheries for current and future generations by maintaining wild salmon stocks, other anadromous fish species, and important fish and wildlife habitat;
(b) protect water resources and habitat that support Alaska's wild salmon and other anadromous fish species;
(c) ensure that development activities comply with enforceable standards that protect wild salmon, other anadromous fish species, and important fish and wildlife habitat; and
(d) ensure that the Department of Fish and Game protects the natural fishery resources of Alaska consistent with Article VIII of the Alaska Constitution

Negative effects of coal mines on the environment:
Water Pollution from Coal includes negative health and environmental effects from the mining, processing, burning, and waste storage of coal, including acid mine drainage, thermal pollution from coal plants, acid rain, and contamination of groundwater, streams, rivers, and seas from heavy metals, mercury, and other toxins and pollutants found in coal ash, coal sludge, and coal waste.

Acid mine drainage (AMD) refers to the outflow of acidic water from coal mines or metal mines, often abandoned mines where ore- or coal mining activities have exposed rocks containing the sulphur-bearing mineral pyrite. Pyrite reacts with air and water to form sulphuric acid and dissolved iron, and as water washes through mines, this compound forms a dilute acid, which can wash into nearby rivers and streams.

Air pollution from coal-fired power plants includes sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, particulate matter (PM), and heavy metals, leading to smog, acid rain, toxins in the environment, and numerous respiratory, cardiovascular, and cerebrovascular effects.