In a big win for Bristol Bay, the Supreme Court has refused an appeal by Alaska and Pebble Limited Partnership seeking to overturn the EPA’s veto of Pebble Mine that was decided last January. the case, Alaska v United States, was a direct appeal to the high court , bypassing the lower courts. the decision was apparently unanimous, as there was no noted dissents in the decision.
To recap, last January the EPA shut down the proposed mine, under Section 404(C) of the Clean Water Act, which allows the agency to block areas from being used as disposal sites for tailings and other detritus from the mining process and operations- in the case of Bristol Bay, the north and south forks of the Koktuli River and the surrounding watersheds.
while Alaska and pebble Limited have vowed to keep fighting in court, their chances of success, given the Supreme Court refusing to hear it directly, is basically nonexistent. if the Court was wiling to to review and overturn that EPA decision, they would have accepted the appeal. Not only did they not accept it, there was no dissents in the decision.