EPA Moves to Roll Back Proposed Restrictions on Alaskan Mine Agency will seek public comment for 90 days on decision By Sara Schaefer Muñoz
https://www.wsj.com/articles/epa-moves-to-roll-back-proposed-restrictions-on-alaskan-mine-1499823880
TORONTO—The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it is moving to withdraw proposed restrictions on the development of the Pebble Mine in Alaska, owned by Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.
The move is a reversal from the agency’s stance on the matter under the Obama administration, and the latest signal that EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is following through on his promise to make his agency more friendly to business and roll back Obama-era restrictions.
“The current administration at EPA is closely focused on enforcing environmental standards and permitting requirements for major development projects like Pebble in a way that is both rigorous and robust, but also consistent to provide predictability and an even-playing field for all resource developers,” said Tom Collier, the chief executive of Pebble Limited Partnership, Northern Dynasty’s wholly-owned subsidiary.
The EPA in 2014 made a proposed determination to bar large-scale mining on the site, in Alaska’s Bristol Bay area, because of concerns about threats to an extensive salmon spawning area. A 2014 EPA report said the Pebble mine could have “significant” adverse effects on the fisheries and the Native Alaskan communities that depend on them.
The EPA said in a statement that it will seek public comments for 90 days on Tuesday’s decision.
The move follows a settlement agreement between the agency and Pebble Partnership, reached in May, that allows the mining project to proceed the “normal course” permitted under Clean Water Act rules and other environmental regulations, without being subject to what the company called “extraordinary development restrictions.”
Now, Northern Dynasty said, the EPA’s move clears the way for it to get going on an environmental impact study, which could take several years. Under the terms of the settlement, Northern Dynasty has agreed to hire the US Army Corps of Engineers to complete the study. CONTINUE T SITE
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