The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says it has no timetable for completing its review of the impacts of large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay region.
The agency released a draft watershed assessment in May and had hoped for a final report as early as year’s end.
EPA said today that it’s updating the assessment in response to over 230,000 public comments and comments from a peer review panel. EPA said it hasn’t set a new timeline for completing its work.
The assessment stemmed from concerns about developing a large copper-and-gold prospect near the headwaters of Bristol Bay.
EPA has said the study isn’t about one project, like the proposed Pebble Mine.
The study was criticized by pro-development groups, the state and others, who called EPA’s actions premature and an overreach.
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