Alaskan’s should applaud Senator Murkowski’s support of the Regulatory Fairness Act. This bipartisan bill does not remove EPA’s authority under the Section 404(c). It simply requires the agency to use it at the appropriate time — during the permitting process and after a thorough Environmental Impact Statement — not preemptively and not retroactively.
Regardless of how you feel about the potential Pebble Mine, it is hard to see how having the EPA condemn projects before a rigorous evaluation is good news for investment, development, and the economic future of Alaska.
A preemptive veto carries great risk for Alaska, and the nation. The EPA’s own internal emails suggest the agency hopes the precedent established at Pebble will help it block other projects before they are objectively evaluated.
Ninety percent of our state revenues come from oil and gas. Allowing EPA to condemn projects that have not been fully vetted sets an incredibly dangerous precedent. Senator Murkowski is fighting for Alaska by defending due process, not weighing in one way or the other on the Pebble Mine.
