Alaska's Bristol Bay Region could be devastated by mining, EPA report finds
Source: The Guardian
Alaska's Bristol Bay Region could be devastated by mining, EPA report finds
Suzanne Goldenberg, US environment correspondent
theguardian.com, Wednesday 15 January 2014 21.25 GMT
A large-scale gold and copper mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay region would devastate the world's largest salmon fisheries, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday.
The EPA report on Pebble Mine was the agency's final word on the potential risks to wildlife and traditional lifestyles of native Alaskans of siting one of North America's largest mines in the remote and pristine region, said Dennis McLerran, regional administrator for EPA Region 10.
"Our report concludes that large-scale mining poses risks to salmon and the tribal communities that have depended on them for thousands of years.”
Opponents and supporters of the Pebble Bay mine agreed the report would very likely damn the project – although EPA officials said it would not immediately trigger any action.
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Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jan/15/alaskas-bristol-bay-region-devastated-mining-epa-report-finds