Early Release of Pebble Mine EIS Draws Ire From Native, Fishing Groups

"ANCHORAGE, Alaska - Thursday a wide array of Alaska Native, commercial fishing, and sportfishing groups issued statements criticizing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Pebble Mine after copies of the document were delivered to interested parties via USPS a day before its publication in the Federal Register.

The Final EIS is not a decision on whether the Pebble Partnership will receive the permits it needs to move forward with the mine, but rather it is a scientific document the Army Corps and U.S. Coast Guard will use to make permitting decisions.

The version of the project USACE deemed to be the “Least Environmentally Damaging Practicable Alternative” includes a mine site with a footprint of 8,390 acres, a transportation corridor with 82 miles of road along the northern end of Lake Iliamna, a port near Diamond Point on the west side of Cook Inlet and a natural gas pipeline from the Diamond Point port across Cook Inlet to near Anchor Point."

Grant Robinson reports for KTUU July 24, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"6 Things To Know About The Pebble Mine Proposal As A Major Federal Environmental Review Comes To A Close" (Anchorage Daily News)

"Final Pebble Mine EIS Maintains Early Corps Conclusions" (Alaska Journal of Commerce)

"Pebble Mine To Clear Environmental Review This Week, But Is It ‘Practicable’?" (Alaska Public Media)

"Pebble Mine’s Environmental Review Foreshadows Future “Streamlined” Process Forged by Trump Administration" (Hakai)