Trump administration denies permit for divisive Alaska mine

The Trump administration on Wednesday denied a permit for a controversial gold and copper mine near the headwaters of the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery in southwest Alaska.

The Trump administration on Wednesday denied a permit for a controversial gold and copper mine near the headwaters of the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery in southwest Alaska. The Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement that the permit application to build the Pebble Mine was denied under both the Clean Water Act and the Rivers and Harbors Act.

The corps also said the discharge plan from the Pebble Limited Partnership, the mine's backers, doesn't comply with Clean Water Act guidelines. The statement from Col. Damon Delarosa, commander of the corps' Alaska district, says the agency "concluded that the proposed project is contrary to the public interest."