senior Trump campaign adviser Nick Ayers
tweeted in August that he hoped the president
would direct the EPA to block Pebble Mine,
Trump Jr. responded: “As a sportsman who
has spent plenty of time in the area I agree
100%. The headwaters of Bristol Bay and the
surrounding fishery are too unique and fragile to
take any chances with.”
The president later said he would “listen to
both sides.”
“The credit for this victory belongs not to any
politician but to Alaskans and Bristol Bay’s
Indigenous peoples, as well as to hunters,
anglers and wildlife enthusiasts from all across
the country who spoke out in opposition to
this dangerous and ill-conceived project,” said
Adam Kolton, executive director of the Alaska
Wilderness League.
Alaska’s two Republican U.S. senators, who
support oil and gas development and mining,
hailed the rejection of the Pebble Mine permit.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the decision affirmed
her position that it’s the wrong mine in the
wrong place.
“It will help ensure the continued protection of
an irreplaceable resource — Bristol Bay’s world-
class salmon fishery,” she said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan said he would remain an
advocate for good-paying jobs derived from
resource development.
“However, given the special nature of the
Bristol Bay watershed and the fisheries and
subsistence resources downstream, Pebble had
to meet a high bar so that we do not trade one
resource for another,” he said. “Pebble did not
meet that bar.”