EPA to propose limits on Alaska’s Pebble Mine project
Source: Washington Post
By Juliet Eilperin July 18 at 9:30 AM
The Environmental Protection Agency will issue a proposal Friday under the Clean Water Act that would limit mining activity in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, according to two individuals familiar with the decision.
The proposed determination, which will now be subject to a public comment period, represents the latest step by the Obama administration to impose restrictions on a massive gold and copper mining project, called Pebble Mine. Native Alaskan tribes, commercial fishing operations and environmentalists who have been seeking to block the venture on the grounds that discharge from its operations could harm the area that supports nearly half of the world’s sockeye salmon.
A Canadian-based firm, Northern Dynasty Minerals, is trying to start construction on the project, which it predicts will create 1,000 direct jobs and generate up to $180 million in state revenue.
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In February, EPA invoked its authority under the Clean Water Act to determine whether it should permanently bar the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers from issuing a discharge permit for the mine. Bristol Bay is home to a critical fishery. Friday’s proposal will bar certain filling and dredging activities associated with the mine.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/07/18/epa-to-propose-limits-on-alaskas-pebble-mine-project/
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