The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has blocked development of Pebble Mine, a large open pit gold and copper mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay area, claiming its dredge and fill disposal would harm one of the world's most environmentally sensitive and valuable wild salmon fisheries.
EPA final determination under the federal Clean Water Act bans disposal of mine waste in a portion of the bay’s watershed under Section 404C of the law, the agency said Jan. 3—noting that the mine action is only the third time it has used such authority to veto a project. The clean water law provision allows EPA to restrict discharges of dredge and fill material into waters of the U.S.