Trump administration denies permit for Pebble mine in Southwest Alaska

The Trump administration on Wednesday rejected a permit for the controversial Pebble copper and gold mine in Southwest Alaska. The decision could be a fatal blow for the long-sought, roller-coaster effort to build the giant project near the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon fishery in Bristol Bay. The mine developers plan to appeal the decision back to federal regulators, but with the opposition of President-elect Joe Biden and many others, the project’s days may be limited. Pebble opponents, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, are already discussing an idea to take the mineral deposit off the table from development forever. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has “determined that the applicant’s plan for the discharge of fill material does not comply with Clean Water Act guidelines and concluded that the proposed project is contrary to the public interest,” said Col. Damon Delarosa, the Corps’ Alaska district commander. Delarosa said the agency’s denial caps a nearly three-year review process of the potential project involving multiple agencies, and was based on all “available facts and complies with existing laws and regulations.” The news was swiftly praised by groups that have fought Pebble, as well as Alaska’s Republican U.S. senators, who both came […]

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