Pebble Opposition Gets A Boost From Justice Department

At a time when mining and drilling in and around Alaska seems like a priority for the Trump administration, the President’s Department of Justice backed up the Environmental Protection Agency’s veto of the Pebble Mine between Trump’s two terms as the Commander-in-Chief. Here are some details from the Anchorage Daily News:

The Justice Department said in its filing that the Pebble mineral deposit exists under streams, wetlands and other waters that are critical for supporting salmon in the watershed, “a largely undisturbed, globally significant economic, ecological, and cultural resource.” 

“(Pebble Limited Partnership’s) mine plan calls for the disposal of large quantities of fill into waters of the United States that would destroy or comparably damage large areas of salmon habitat that are fishery areas,” the filing said. 

Ron Thiessen, president of Pebble’s parent company, Northern Dynasty Minerals, said in a statement last week that the filing is “surprisingly short-sighted” and legally flawed.