EPA Says Bristol Bay Mines Still Possible After Pebble Blocked

The EPA’s decision on Tuesday barring the Pebble Limited Partnership from dumping mine waste into Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed doesn’t prohibit all mining for gold, copper, and other minerals in the area of the world’s largest wild salmon fishery, EPA officials said.

The decision prohibits mines similar to the gold mine Pebble proposed in 2020, but a mine with less impact wouldn’t be banned by the decision, Radhika Fox, Environmental Protection Agency assistant administrator overseeing the Office of Water, told reporters during a briefing on Monday.

“Should Pebble propose a project that did not ...