EPA Moves One Step Closer to Restricting Mining at Bristol Bay

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken a step toward curbing discharges associated with a planned open-pit gold and copper mine near Bristol Bay, Alaska.

Proponents of the proposed $6-billion to $8-billion Pebble Mine project, which would be one of the world's largest of its type, say the action is just the latest in a series of EPA efforts to prevent the mine from being developed.

An EPA regional office on July 18, citing the Clean Water Act, proposed restricting all mining-related discharges of dredged or fill material that would harm local streams, wetlands, lakes or ponds. EPA's proposal is open for public comment through Sept. 19.

Environmental groups welcomed EPA's action, but critics say the agency is attempting to veto the project preemptively.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee on July 16 approved a bill that would bar EPA from denying or vetoing Clean Water permits before the Corps of Engineers completes its review.

Pam Hunter McFarland was a Senior Editor of ENR and her expertise was: Sourcebooks, Environment, Labor

Tom Ichniowski has been writing about the federal government as ENR’s Washington Bureau Chief since the George H.W. Bush administration, and he has covered at least five major highway bills. A recognized expert on government policy on infrastructure and regulation, Tom is also a Baltimore native and Orioles fan who grew up rooting for Brooks and Frank Robinson. He is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia’s graduate school of journalism, where he once used “unrelentless” in a headline.

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