TRUMP ADMINISTRATION DENIES PERMITS FOR PEBBLE MINE
by carlos matÍAS
The Trump Administration has denied permits to Pebble Limited Partnership, to operate a gold and copper mine at the head of the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery, in Southwest Alaska. The mine contravenes “Clean Water” and “River and Port” laws and the project’s "contrary to the public interest”.
John Shively, executive director of Pebble Partners, has said that the denial represents a "lost economic opportunity for the people in the area", who had their hopes in "a better life”, he said.
Change of criterion Last July, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers units based in the area published an environmental review stating that under normal operations, the Pebble Mine would have “no measurable impact” on fish numbers, nor would there be any long-term changes to the health of commercial fisheries in Southwest Alaska's Bristol Bay.
However, in August a new report determined that the mine's discharges would cause "unavoidable adverse impacts to aquatic resources", and proposed the efforts needed to reduce those effects. This prompted Alaska's Republican senators to oppose the project. On November 16, Canada-based Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd., owner of the Pebble Limited Partnership, presented a plan to mitigate these adverse effects. But even if the project had been approved, the State would have had the last word, and the elected President Joe Biden had already expressed his opposition.
