Alaska sought a permit under section 404 from EPA to conduct mining operations in a confined region of the state. EPA vetoed the mine, and any future efforts to develop similar operations in an area almost 24 times the size of the proposed mine -- in an overbroad action based on subjective criteria. EPA?s action not only throws the immediate project into a logistical and economic tailspin, it also jeopardizes future investment in the region and similar projects around the country that may require EPA permits under the Clean Water Act.??

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In short, by claiming the ability to unilaterally block projects like the one in Alaska, EPA is creating a dangerous precedent that will kill future economic investment, harm energy-resource development, and leave the U.S. increasingly reliant on Communist China for valuable natural resources.??

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?We have abundant mineral resources in the United States. What we need is a federal government united in its preference for responsibly developing our resources, under our own environmentally protective laws, pursuant to a predictable permitting process. Not an EPA that abuses its power to target projects it does not like, stacking the deck against States and permittees in a game known only to EPA. EPA must act cooperatively with States, and consistent with national policy, so that we can, as a Nation, build the secure and reliable mineral supply chains that we need?and lessen our dependence on countries like China.,? the brief states.??

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To read the full letter, click here.??