Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt announced late Friday that he will not scrap the agency's 2014 determination that a large-scale mining operation could irreparably harm Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed.
His decision, which falls short of blocking a proposed gold and copper mine in the region outright, represents a surprising twist in a years-long battle that has pitted a Canadian-owned mining company against commercial fishing operators, native Alaskans and conservationists determined to protect the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery.
On Friday, after receiving more than a million public comments and consulting with tribal governments and others, the EPA said it will leave the previous administration's determination in place while it takes additional comments. The announcement said the decision "neither deters nor derails the application process" for the mine. ...
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