Alaska Mining Project Denied Federal Permit After Bipartisan Pushback

Topline

The Army Corps of Engineers will not allow a controversial copper and gold mining project in a remote part of Alaska to move forward, it said Wednesday, following dire warnings about ecological damage from a bipartisan chorus that included environmental groups, Republican Senators and even President Donald Trump’s oldest son.

Key Facts

Crucial Quote

“[The Army Corps] determined that the applicant’s plan for the discharge of fill material does not comply with Clean Water Act guidelines and concluded that the proposed project is contrary to the public interest,” Colonel Damon Delarosa, commander of the Army Corps’ Alaska district, told Forbes in a statement.

Chief Critic

Pebble Partnership, the company seeking to build the mine, called the Army Corps’ rejection “politically driven” and said it plans on appealing the decision. “This is also a lost opportunity for the state’s future economy – especially at a time when Alaska is seeing record job losses from the impacts associated with Covid,” the company wrote.

Key Background

The Trump administration has gradually opened up Alaska’s natural resources to private use, rolling back some of the restrictions enacted under President Obama. His administration is working to sell off oil and gas drilling rights in the environmentally fragile Arctic National Refuge, and federal officials are angling to make logging easier in the state’s Tongass National Forest. Environmental groups have blasted these regulatory rollbacks, but some local politicians and industry groups have applauded the president’s approach on economic grounds.

What To Watch For

President-elect Joe Biden says he would also block the Pebble Mine project, calling it “no place for a mine.” His administration might be tasked with reviewing an appeal from Pebble Partnership.

Further Reading

Army Corps says no to massive gold mine proposed near Bristol Bay in Alaska (Washington Post)

Donald Trump Jr. opposes controversial Alaska mine that could disrupt critical salmon fishery (CNN)