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EPANonrulemakingEPA-R10-OW-2022-0418

Proposed Determination to Prohibit and Restrict the Use of Certain Waters Within Defined Areas as Disposal Sites; Pebble Deposit Area, Southwest Alaska

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Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filings
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Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed 4 comments on this docket between Sep 5, 2022 and Sep 13, 2022. 52 other organizations filed here. The comment window closed 1421d ago.

What Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) filed (4)

Sep 13, 2022· Mass Comment Campaign sponsored by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). (web)· EPA-R10-OW-2022-0418-1744

Dear Administrator Regan and Regional Administrator Sixkiller: Please accept these 20,347 public comments from members and online activists of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), urging you to stop the dangerous Pebble Mine project for good and to finalize strong, durable protections for Bristol Bay. In 2020, the Army Corps of Engineers denied the Pebble Mine project, noting that the proposed open-pit, gold and copper mega-mine would cause significant degradation to the water and marine life of Alaska's Bristol Bay. This decision was a promising victory in the fight to save Bristol Bay -- but a temporary one. The mining company and its backers have already appealed the Army Corps' decision and will continue to push to develop its mega-mine. Bristol Bay is home to the greatest wild salmon fishery on the planet, supplying half of the world's sockeye salmon, supporting 15,000 jobs, generating $2.2 billion annually, and sustaining Alaska Native communities for thousands of years. But the Bristol Bay watershed is more than just home for the largest wild sockeye salmon runs in the world. It is the economic and cultural lifeline for the people of Bristol Bay and all those who depend on it. The Proposed Determination under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act is moving in the right direction to stop the Pebble Mine, but the EPA can do more. We urge you to listen to the science and people of Bristol Bay to finalize strong, permanent protections for the region by the end of this year. The EPA must expeditiously conclude the 404(c) process and close the door on large-scale mining in Bristol Bay. The people and wildlife of Bristol Bay deserve a permanent solution. Thank you.

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Sep 12, 2022· Comment submitted by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)· EPA-R10-OW-2022-0418-0839

Filed on regulations.gov — full text not in the inline record.

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Sep 12, 2022· Comment submitted by Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)· EPA-R10-OW-2022-0418-0856

On behalf of the Natural Resources Defense Council ("NRDC") and its 3 million members and activists, please find attached comments in support of final agency action under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska from the proposed Pebble Mine or other large-scale porphyry ore mining of the Pebble deposit. The attached comments urge EPA to act expeditiously under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act by issuing a Recommended Determination followed by a Final Determination by the end of 2022. In its Section 404(c) Final Determination, we urge EPA to ensure that the specter of the Pebble Mine—and any large-scale mining plan substantially similar or greater, not just in scale but in ecological impacts—are definitively removed from the region, precluded by EPA action that is defensible, timely, and durable in protecting the region, its people, and its wildlife from further threat.

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Sep 5, 2022· Comment submitted by Natural Resources Defense Council et al.· EPA-R10-OW-2022-0418-0617

On behalf of 122 local, state, national and international organizations--representing tens of millions of members and supporters--attached please find a comment letter in support of final agency action under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act to protect Bristol Bay, Alaska from the proposed Pebble Mine or other large-scale porphyry ore mining of the Pebble deposit. Our groups urge EPA to finalize comprehensive 404(c) protections before the end of 2022. Thank you.

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Abstract

Pursuant to Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act (CWA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Region 10 is requesting public comments on its proposed determination to prohibit and restrict the use of certain waters in the South Fork Koktuli River (SFK), North Fork Koktuli River (NFK), and Upper Talarik Creek (UTC) watersheds as disposal sites for the discharge of dredged or fill material associated with mining the Pebble deposit, a copper-, gold-, and molybdenum-bearing ore body located in Southwest, Alaska. EPA Region 10 is also announcing public hearings on this proposed determination.

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Proposed Determination to Prohibit and Restrict the Use of Certain Waters Within Defined Areas as Disposal Sites; Pebble Deposit Area, Southwest Alaska (EPA) — Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) | OpenPolis