Today, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced an agreement to allow the Pebble Mine project in southwest Alaska to proceed to regular permitting under the Clean Water Act and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The proposed mineral development project was preemptively denied by the Obama administration outside of the traditional NEPA process.

Chairman Rob Bishop (R-UT) issued the following statement:

“Finally, this project can begin a transparent process of review that provides for public input, environmental analysis and fair shake at approval, not more arbitrary decisions and lawsuits. The Pebble project being unilaterally precluded from even beginning the NEPA process was emblematic of the reckless and abusive actions of EPA under the previous administration. I thank President Trump and Administrator Pruitt for efforts to establish a predictable federal permitting process which is fundamental to future growth and investment for Alaska and communities across the country.”