BIG WIN FOR ENVIRONMENTAL NGO INDUSTRY
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers – Alaska District has bowed to pressure from Alaska’s senior Sen. Lisa Murkowski and environmental nonprofit groups and extended the public comment period an additional 30-days for the Pebble Limited Partnership draft environmental impact statement.
The corps had set the environmental impact statement period to end in May because in June, everyone in Alaska goes fishing. The extension will allow the environmental industry to continue their “click here” fund-raising through June.
The extension is all about putting the project final decision into the next presidential administration, making it purely about presidential election politics.
The deadline for submitting comments about the draft EIS is now June 29. The Corps will consider all comments received by that date before finalizing the document and making a permit decision in 2020. The extension brings the length of the public comment period to 120-days, shorter than what environmental groups wanted.
The Corps released the draft environmental impact statement on Feb. 20 with the formal public comment period beginning March 1.
The Corps conducted nine public hearings in Alaska to take comment on the permit application and draft EIS. Meetings were held in Anchorage, Dillingham, Homer, Igiugig, Kokhanok, Naknek, New Halen, New Stuyahok, and Nondalton.
To date, about 8,400 public comments have been uploaded to the EIS website.
Comments can be electronically submitted on the public website: https://www.pebbleprojecteis.c
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District
ATTN: DA Permit Application 2017-271, Pebble Limited Partnership
645 G Street Suite 100-921
Anchorage, Alaska 99501
All comments become part of the public record. For more information, visit https://www.pebbleprojecteis.c
