April 30, 2014 — Fisherman and conservation groups sought Wednesday to discredit charges that the Obama administration is attempting to sabotage a contentious mine project in Alaska, describing accusations from developers as recycled falsehoods.
The groups’ rebuttal of fresh allegations from developers marks the latest salvo in an escalating feud over the planned Pebble Mine at a southwestern Alaska site viewed as potentially the largest deposit of undiscovered copper and gold in the world.
On Tuesday, the Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP) challenged a move by the Environmental Protection Agency that could halt the project, describing the action as unprecedented government overreach.
EPA officials maintain they initiated a rarely used veto process under the Clean Water Act to allow for further review of the project's impact on the environment, including the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery in nearby Bristol Bay.
"Pebble continually and deliberately fails to mention that EPA's involvement in Bristol Bay came at the request of the people of Alaska and the fishermen of Bristol Bay,” said Katherine Carscallen, Sustainability Director for the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association. “Taking action under the Clean Water Act is the next step in order for EPA to complete their job and protect ours.”
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