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Supreme Court Declines to Revive Blocked Pebble Mine Project in Alaska

Alaska's appeal to undo the EPA's action was turned down, but the state can still pursue the case in lower courts.

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FILE – A worker with the Pebble Mine project digs in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska near the village of Iliamma, Alaska, July 13, 2007. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan said he fully supports his agency’s decision to block a proposed gold and copper mine in Alaska’s salmon-rich Bristol Bay in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023. (AP Photo/Al Grillo, File)
The Pebble Mine project near Bristol Bay has been halted.
Under the Obama administration, scientists found a copper and gold mine planned near Bristol Bay, Alaska, would be devastating to one of the world's most valuable salmon fisheries.

Overview

  • The Supreme Court declined to take up a case seeking to revive the Pebble Mine project, a proposed gold and copper mine in Alaska that was blocked by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2021.
  • The Biden administration had blocked the proposed mine, citing potential impacts to a major Alaskan salmon fishery.
  • Alaska had asked the court to undo the EPA’s action, arguing that the EPA breached a contract between Alaska and the federal government.
  • In exchange for giving up rights for land that became the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska received federal lands known to have mineral deposits.
  • Alaska can still try to reverse the decision through the more typical process, starting in a lower court and appealing any unfavorable decisions to the Supreme Court.