Regulators block development on Alaskan Pebble mine to protect salmon population

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/02/28/regulators-block-development-on-alaskan-pebble-mine-to-protect-salmon-population/



Regulators block development on Alaskan Pebble mine to protect salmon population
By Reuters
Friday, February 28, 2014 19:51 EST
By Julie Gordon

VANCOUVER (Reuters) – U.S. environmental regulators moved on Friday to block development of the Pebble mine in Alaska, which could be one of the largest copper projects in the world, citing potential “irreversible harm” to the state’s salmon fishery.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said it has initiated a rarely used process under the Clean Water Act to “identify appropriate options to protect” the Bristol Bay fishery from the impact of the proposed mine.

The decision follows a report in January that found large-scale mining would pose serious risks to salmon and native cultures in the pristine corner of southwest Alaska.

“Extensive scientific study has given us ample reason to believe that the Pebble mine would likely have significant and irreversible negative impacts on the Bristol Bay watershed and its abundant salmon fisheries,” EPA administrator Gina McCarthy said in a statement.

[bravenak]

1. Thank you!!

This is great news.