Trump EPA preserves Obama-era rule against Alaska mine proposal

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Scott Pruitt announced Friday that the agency will keep in place 2014 protections set forth by President Barack Obama, which have stopped the development of a large gold and copper mine known as the Pebble Mine in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed. The decision comes after a months-long review. Pruitt stated that the EPA will leave the protections intact until the agency “receives more information on the potential mine’s impact on the region’s world-class fisheries and natural resources.” Pruitt added that the “EPA believes the risk to Bristol Bay may be unacceptable.”