EPA Removes Previous Order That Would Protect Bristol Bay From Mining

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Photo by Wikimedia user AlaskaTrekker

The Environmental Protection Agency has reversed an order from former President Barack Obama that would help protect Bristol Bay from mining projects like the Pebble Mine.

Here’s CNN with more:

EPA’s Chris Hladick, an administrator who presides over Alaska, said the “proposed determination” that previously blocked the project “does not account for the full record and does not grapple with differing conclusions” about the mine’s potential environmental impacts.
“The agency has worked closely with the Army Corps to engage with stakeholders and the public on this issue, which has resulted in an expansive public record, including specific information about the proposed mining project that did not exist in 2014,” Hladick said in a statement.
Tom Collier, the CEO of the company behind the proposed mine, Pebble Limited Partnership, praised Tuesday’s development and argued that the Obama administration’s EPA reached its determination by relying on hypothetical mining scenarios not based on the development plan proposed by his company.
Some social media reaction:

https://twitter.com/MinerJake22/status/1156318578855096321?s=20