EPA Blocks Alaska Pebble Mine In Salmon-Rich Bristol Bay Region (Seattle Times)
Images: Loren Holmes / Anchorage Daily News; Jason Ching (The Conservation Fund via)
[ed. Finally, after decades of study and political struggle. This is what I did in my 30 year career - analyzing, mitigating, and permitting or denying major development projects throughout Alaska (based on their feasibility and impact): mines, ports, dams, oil fields, transportation projects, etc. - also land acquisitions and conservation easements to protect critical fish and wildlife habitats and recreational access (eg., developing the Exxon Valdez Habitat Protection program resulting in the protection of nearly 650,000 acres). It almost seemed like a truism at the time that the best place to site a project always happened to be in the worst, most environmentally sensitive location. The Pebble project would have been one of the worst of the worst. See also: E.P.A. Blocks Long-Disputed Mine Project in Alaska (NYT); Over 44,000 Acres of Critical Bristol Bay Habitat Permanently Protected; Pedro Bay Rivers Project, Alaska (The Conservation Fund); and, What Alaska leaders, advocacy groups and industries are saying about the EPA rejection of Pebble mine (ADN).]
