This afternoon, Americans for Tax Reform, joined by 14 conservative organizations, sent a letter to the EPA urging Acting Administrator Wheeler to rescind the Obama administration’s unprecedented use of a preemptive veto to halt a mining project in Southwest Alaska.
In 2013, Obama’s EPA colluded with liberal environmental activists to shut down the Pebble Mine project without allowing the mine’s developers to go through the normal permitting process. This decision blocked the creation of an estimated 2,000 jobs in Alaska. A coalition of conservative organizations opposing the EPA’s action warned the policy would have a “dramatic chilling effect on investment in America.”
This June, former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt responded to this issue by releasing a memorandum instructing the EPA to ensure the agency is, “protecting public health and the environment in a way that is fair and consistent with due process. We must ensure that EPA exercises its authority under the Clean Water Act in a careful, predictable, and prudent manner.”
While ATR applauds the intended reform of the Pruitt Memo, the continued existence of the Obama EPA’s proposed veto of Pebble Mine serves as a precedent for future administrations. ATR and its allies are calling upon Acting Administrator Wheeler to remove the potential threat of future abuse and restore a fair and regular permitting process.
“We urge you to rescind the proposed “veto” (proposed determination) for Southwest Alaska as soon as possible,” The letter states. “This action would be an important step to reestablishing a fair and due process at the EPA, which Pruitt called for in his memo.”
To view the full content of the letter, click here.