Underwater shot of a sockeye salmon in Bristol Bay, Alaska© Jason Ching

Army Corps Denies Pebble Permit

Army Corps Denies Pebble Permit

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rejected the Pebble Limited Partnership’s permit for a mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska.

The Army Corps today denied Pebble Mine a key permit for its mine proposed in the headwaters of two of Bristol Bay’s most important salmon rivers.

That follows a huge outcry this summer against the mine from people across the political spectrum, the release of the Pebble Tapes, and a demand from the Army Corps that Pebble mitigate for damage planned to more than 100 miles of salmon streams and 3,000 acres of wetlands under its proposal.

The Army Corps said today that mitigation plan, submitted last week, did not meet Clean Water Act standards and was not “in the public interest.” 

Guido Rahr, CEO of the Wild Salmon Center, said: “Today, we thank the Army Corps for doing the right thing. The agency recognized what Bristol Bay Tribes, fishermen, independent scientists and the EPA have long established: Pebble Mine is too destructive for the Bristol Bay ecosystem. Today’s decision gives the people of Bristol Bay temporary relief from this mine. It’s now time for EPA to use the Clean Water Act to kill this mine once and for all.” 

We thank all of our supporters for helping us reach this point! Recharge and stay tuned as we gear up for the final, crucial step: securing Clean Water Act protections for one of the planet’s greatest salmon strongholds. 

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