To protect salmon, the EPA has vetoed a copper and gold mine near Bristol Bay, potentially ending a contentious Alaska project debated for years.
. The EPA’s Regan said the agency does not want to hinder economic development in the state and that its Bristol Bay decision is limited to a small, uniquely special area.
The agency invoked a rarely-used authority under the Clean Water Act — often referred to as its veto power — to limit mining within Pebble’s 308-square-mile proposed footprint. While the agency can use this power to block specific projects or permits, it can also more broadly block development across a sensitive area, which is what the agency is doing in Bristol Bay. It is only the third time in 30 years the agency has invoked this power, Regan said.
“It’s time for us to work for lasting protections for the entire Bristol Bay watershed that match the scope of the threat to this special place,” Chris Wood, president of the conservation group Trout Unlimited, said in a statement.
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