Alaskan Kensington Mine Temporarily Stalled

One month ago the Supreme Court upheld a permit that would allow a gold mine to dump its waste directly into a freshwater lake.  Last week, however, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) called on the U.S. Corps of Engineers to undertake a reevaluation of the permit.  The agency estimates that this could take around eight months and would include a new public comment period.

The permit was issued and upheld largely because of a 2004 Bush EPA memo that redefined the 'fill' material that could be dumped directly into bodies of water to include toxic, industrial, and wastewater slurries.  We must use this temporary stall to tell the EPA and the Council on Environmental Quality to reverse this dangerous memo and ensure that we protect and safeguard our clean waters.

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