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JUNEAU (AP) — Alaska Gov. Bill Walker has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to suspend its environmental review of a proposed copper-and-gold mine near a major salmon fishery, saying he questions whether the project is ready to move forward.
Walker's letter to the corps, also signed by Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott, said the group seeking to develop the mine, the Pebble Limited Partnership, has yet to show that it has proposed a "feasible and realistic project."
Tom Collier, CEO of the Pebble partnership, called the request a stall tactic that he would expect from anti-development groups but not from the governor. Walker fails to make a compelling case for halting the current process, he said.