Alaska asks US Supreme Court to strike down the rejection of a proposed copper, gold mine

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The state of Alaska wants the U.S. Supreme Court to strike down a federal agency’s rejection of a proposed copper and gold mine in southwest Alaska’s Bristol Bay region. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in January blocked the proposed Pebble Mine, citing concerns with potential impacts on a rich aquatic ecosystem that supports the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery. Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor says having a case heard directly by the Supreme Court rather than first in the lower courts is extraordinary but says appropriate in this case. The Anchorage Daily News reports that an EPA spokesperson said the agency was reviewing the filing.