Washington, D.C. – Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) responded to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) preliminary final environmental impact statement on the Pebble Mine Project.
“The Army Corps of Engineers’ environmental analysis of the Pebble Mine was flawed from the start, and recent reports indicate it isn’t improving. When the Chief of the Corps told me the Corps was taking its statutory responsibilities seriously and it was better to do the job right than do it fast, I took him at his word. However if recent reports about the current state of review of this project are true, it appears the Corps has, again, missed the mark,” said Chair DeFazio. “If the Pebble Mine is built- the world’s largest wild sockeye salmon run will be placed in jeopardy and likely destroyed, as well as the culture and livelihood of the tribes, fisher people, and communities that depend on this abundant resource. As Chairman of the Committee responsible for the Corps and the Clean Water Act, I will do everything in my authority to ensure this doesn’t occur.”