In Svati Narula’s Is Alaska’s Pebble Mine the Next Keystone XL? she extensively summarizes the events that have led up to the Pebble Mine controversy. Currently, the Pebble Mine is just an idea as lobbyists have delayed any impending progress. The Pebble prospect sits on what is considered the “largest known untapped copper deposit in the world.” (Narula) Unfortunately for the Pebble Partnership-a company formed when Northern Dynasty Minerals and Anglo American bought the rights to all the minerals in the deposit- mining the Pebble prospect would directly affect the ecosystem of Bristol Bay. Bristol Bay is the world’s largest sockeye-salmon fishery and is surrounded by pristine land. However, the Pebble Partnership claims that the operation would “bring jobs and infrastructure to Southwest Alaska…” and “all of this is possible in harmony with the environment.” (Narula) Despite the company’s promises, “‘80% of Bristol Bay residents’ are against it”…show more content… After some lobbying by commercial fishermen, native tribes, and concerned citizens, the EPA stepped in. Section 404 of the Clean Water Act restricts construction in navigable waters without a permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers; the act also grants the EPA the right to block permission from the U.S Army Corps of Engineers. In the spring of 2013 the EPA released a draft of its watershed assessment on Pebble prospect and Bristol Bay. The assessment “indicated that the mine would have an overwhelmingly negative impact on the Bristol Bay watershed.” (Narula) Later in 2013, Anglo American discontinued its association with the Pebble Partnership stating it wanted to focus on other projects that have a high value and low risk. This intervention by the EPA has sparked another controversy in itself. Many have become wary of the power that the EPA possesses. Some believe that the decision of the mine should be up to the local people; therefore, the EPA is overstepping its