The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a letter outlining what the developers of the proposed Pebble Mine have to do to mitigate damage to wetlands and streams. The conditions may be hard to meet, but the letter does not prohibit the mine outright.
Politico reported over the weekend that the Trump administration would block the project in Southwest Alaska, at the headwaters of Bristol Bay.
Pebble Limited Partnership CEO Tom Collier said in a written statement this morning that the conditions don’t delay or pause the project. He said he expects Pebble will submit a mitigation plan in a matter of weeks.
The Corps’ letter is dated Aug. 20 but it was made public today.
Tim Bristol of Salmon State says the EPA should exercise its veto power over the mine and that anything else is inadequate to protect Bristol Bay.
RELATED:Donald Trump Jr. tweets his opposition to Pebble Mine
People who have President Trump’s ear have begun pressuring the president to stop the project. They include his son Donald Trump Jr; GOP mega-donor Andy Sabin and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris, who aired his argument against the mine in a segment on Tucker Carlson’s show on Fox News.
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
