The Trump administration on Wednesday
effectively killed a contentious proposed mine
in Alaska, a gold and copper prospect once
envisioned to be nearly as deep as the Grand
Canyon and could produce enough waste to fill
an NFL stadium nearly 3,900 times — all near
the headwaters of the world’s largest sockeye
salmon fishery.
The Army Corps of Engineers “concluded that
the proposed project is contrary to the public
interest” and denied a permit to build the
Pebble Mine under both the Clean Water Act
and the Rivers and Harbors Act, the agency said
in a statement.
The rejection was a surprise. It’s at odds with
President Donald Trump’s efforts to encourage
energy development in Alaska, including
opening up part of the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge to drilling, and other moves nationwide