Trump administration says Pebble Mine can't be permitted as proposed

Aug. 24 (UPI) -- The Trump administration on Monday determined that the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska cannot be approved for a permit under the Clean Water Act.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued a statement saying the project, which would be the largest gold and copper mine in North America, would likely result in "significant adverse effects on the aquatic system or human environment" as currently proposed.

The Corps said the project has the potential to provide the creation of jobs and extraction of natural resources but "as currently proposed, the project could have substantial environmental impacts within the unique Bristol Bay watershed and lacks adequate compensatory mitigation."

Pebble Limited Partnership CEO Tom Collier said that the letter was expected and that the company is "well into" an effort to present a mitigation plan to the Corps.

"The USACE has identified the wetlands and stream impacts at the project mine site to include about 3,000 acres of wetlands and about 100 miles of streams," said Collier, who formerly served as chief of staff for the U.S. Department of the Interior during the Clinton administration. "The USACE has stated that the mitigation must be 'in kind' and 'in watershed.'"

The Obama administration had blocked the mine, but Trump administration officials reversed the decision and the Corps determined last month that the operation would have "no measurable effect" on fish populations in the area but would inflict permanent damage on the region.

The project has also faced recent opposition from prominent Republicans including Trump's son, Donlad Trump Jr., who tweeted earlier this month that the headwaters of Bristol Bay and the surrounding fishery "are too unique and fragile to take any chances with."

Alannah Hurley, executive director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay, praised the Corps' decision in an email to The Washington Post.

"It is impossible for the company to mitigate the devastation this mine will have on our Nativ cultures, our way of life that has been sustained for thousands of years by the pristine lands and waters of the Bristol Bay Watershed," Hurley wrote.