Big news from the Washington Post:
The Environmental Protection Agency will issue a proposal Friday under the Clean Water Act that would limit mining activity in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed, according to two individuals familiar with the decision. The proposed determination, which will now be subject to a public comment period, represents the latest step by the Obama administration to impose restrictions on a massive gold and copper mining project, called Pebble Mine…Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has repeatedly warned EPA not to issue a “preemptive veto” against Pebble Mine, though Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and other Democratic senators from the Pacific Northwest such as Maria Cantwell (Wash.) have argued it poses too great a risk to the wild fishery.
If the EPA is looking to make a statement regarding Alaska, how about explaining how they and the State of Alaska DEC allowed the North Pole Refinery Sulfolane spill to spread over decades to now involve an area estimated to be 2 miles by 3 miles by 600 feet in depth? Now we are hearing employees of a previous owner (Williams) of the refinery were actually shooting holes in the Sulfolane containment pond liner when that liner floated to the surface.
http://www.adn.com/article/20140714/small-step-toward-settlement-taken-fight-over-spilled-sulfolane
Does that conduct demonstrate the stewardship of our resources we can expect from some of these corporations when are not made to perform under constant government “over reach”?
Wether you are for or against Pebble , this is bad. When the EPA can arbitraly step in at any point of the planning or permitting process with new rules, it establishes uncertanty that has a crippling effect on any project anywhere. It is also interesting to note that the author of the EPA’s Pebble assesment suffed a “hard drive crash” that destroyed his work product, has since retired and moved to New Zealand, where he refuses to return to answer question about his assesmnet in front of Congress. I have to wonder what private citizens are privy to the work product of the EPA before it is released to the public? This smacks of a back room deal and may violate public disclosure laws. In any case, anti pebble or pro pebble, this is bad. The EPA is going Rouge and holding itself above the law.
I disagree. I am not sure if I am in support of or in opposition to mining in the Bristol bay region, but that really shouldn’t be the point. The federal government should not be interrupting an already established process and preemptively halting a project that has not even made it through the study and planning phases. There is a process for this and it needs to be followed. This is bad news for our state. If we allow the federal government to smite down any and all efforts to even think about planning mineral extraction, then we are handing over our power as a state to plan for our future and the future of our children.
There is a God !
This is great news for Alaska, Bristol Bay and all people around the world that enjoy wild salmon. This iis the one good thing that the Obama Administration is handling well. I am glad that Senator Begich finally saw the light (the poll numbers) and came out against the mine. While I probably will vote for Begich, I am hoping that he begins to show more true political courage and quit with the gammesmanship, contradictory press releases and his blind suport of Harry Reid. My suport for Begich is my belief that it is good to have both Democrats and Republicans in our delegation.