Trump administration to pause permit for Alaska's Pebble Mine on Monday
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Trump administration to pause permit process for Alaskas proposed Pebble mine on Monday, sources say
Author: Juliet Eilperin, Ashley Parker, The Washington Post clock Updated: 8 hours ago calendar Published 14 hours ago
The Trump administration will pause the permitting process for the controversial Pebble gold and copper mine in Alaska on Monday on the grounds that the firm must do more to address how it will harm the environment, according to three individuals briefed on the decision who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.
The move represents a major blow to the proposed Pebble mine, which was vetoed under Barack Obama but has been revived under the Trump administration. Several high-profile Republicans, including the presidents eldest son, Fox News host Tucker Carlson and Vice President Mike Pences former chief of staff Nick Ayers, have campaigned against the project on the grounds it could harm the worlds largest sockeye salmon fishery in Bristol Bay.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will send a letter to the Pebble Limited Partnership on Monday saying that because the plan will cause significant degradation, the company will have to do more to address its environmental impact before it can receive a key federal permit.
The Corps
concluded late last month that the operation would have no measurable effect on the areas fish populations but also found it would permanently destroy 2,200 acres of wetlands and 105 miles of streams in the region.
Politico first reported the decision to delay the permit Saturday afternoon.
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Ashley Parker
Ashley Parker is a White House reporter for The Washington Post. She joined The Post in 2017, after 11 years at the New York Times, where she covered the 2012 and 2016 presidential campaigns and Congress, among other things.