The group behind the Pebble Mine project has sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over an agency study that concluded large-scale mining posed significant risk to salmon in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region.
The lawsuit alleges EPA violated the Federal Advisory Committee Act and held secret meetings with de facto advisory committees in drafting the report. It seeks to bar EPA from relying on the study, which provided the basis for EPA invoking a process under which it could restrict or prohibit development of the mine.
EPA hasn’t responded to the lawsuit’s merits but agreed not to take another step in that process before Jan. 2.
A federal judge plans to decide by Dec. 3 whether to grant Pebble’s request to prevent EPA from moving further, pending resolution of the case.
