Republican push to block controversial Alaskan gold mine gains the White House’s attention
Pebble Mine scored a key victory late last month but now faces opposition from some Trump confidants
By Juliet Eilperin, Ashley Parker and Steven Mufson
August 20, 2020 at 2:00 a.m. AKDT
Federal approval of a controversial gold and copper mine in Alaska that would be the largest in North America may be put on hold after a small group of influential Republicans — including the president’s son, Fox News host Tucker Carlson, a wealthy Trump donor and one of the vice president’s former top aides — launched a full-court press to block the project.
The proposed Pebble Mine was on the verge of winning a key permit from the Trump administration despite concerns from environmentalists that it could significantly damage Alaska’s world-renowned sockeye salmon fishery in nearby Bristol Bay.
That also happens to be a fishing spot of Donald Trump Jr., who made an impassioned case against the mine to his father during an early August fundraiser he hosted at his Bridgehampton, N.Y., home. Andrew Sabin, a Trump donor who was at the seaside gathering, also told the president that the mine was a bad idea. And last week, Carlson argued against the proposed mine on his television show.
This last-minute campaign by a handful of high-profile Republicans — including Vice President Pence’s former chief of staff Nick Ayers — has prompted the White House to reassess the mine, according to two individuals familiar with the matter. Both people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal deliberations, said administration officials are now weighing whether to delay granting a key permit to the mine’s sponsor, Pebble Limited Partnership.
This marks an abrupt turn of fortunes for the project and underscores the freewheeling nature of decision-making in Trump’s White House, as well as the persuasive power of the unofficial lobbying campaign, both public and private, to block the mine.
More: washingtonpost.com |
