Alaskan mining critics cheered the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision to maintain an existing policy not to permit the Northern Dynasty Minerals’ Pebble copper and gold mine in Bristol Bay. They maintain that the project’s toxic byproducts would threaten fisheries and other natural resources.

Alannah Hurley, with United Tribes of Bristol Bay, a group opposing the mine, has said that members of the tribes she represents are willing to lie down in front of bulldozers to protect the waters. She notes, “Ideally, we would like these [protections] finalized, and the battle to protect Bristol Bay from the Pebble Mine and mines like Pebble is far from over. But the fact that these protections remain in place and can be used within the process is a very positive step in the effort to protect the Bristol Bay watershed for generations to come.”

This article appears in the May 2018 issue of Natural Awakenings.