The report supporting the Pebble Limited Partnership’s claim that the Environmental Protection Agency was “predetermined” to halt the proposed mine in Bristol Bay has been making the rounds in Washington D.C.
Former Secretary of Defense and U.S. Senator, William Cohen, published the report on October 6, and on November 5 the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology heard from both sides of the mine battle.
The U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee also released the findings of an investigation on November 5, stating it found the EPA had no legal footing and took “highly questionable” actions.
The committee’s report recommends the agency revoke its proposed decision to restrict the development of the mine which was issued before permits could be submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The EPA asserts that it relied on “detailed mining plans” filed by the Pebble Partnership with the Securities and Exchange Commission to assess potential impacts of the proposed large-scale mine at the headwaters of the valuable Bristol Bay fishery.
The House committee stated the most concerning finding was that “EPA employees frequently provided sensitive information to mine opponents.”
One example included in the committee’s findings was that former EPA employee Phil North helped draft one of the tribal petitions that the agency later claimed to rely on for their decision.