Gina McCarthy, administrator for the EPA, stresses that this is only a temporary block for the development and that decisions are in no way final. A four-step process is now underway that may eventually result in permanent protection of Bristol Bay, the area in which this mine would be located. This announcement is hailed by the alliance of concerned fishermen, local First Nations groups, and environmentalists who have been opposing the mine and arguing its location in the headwaters of major river systems would endanger the thriving salmon population that use those waters for their annual 'run' up the rivers.

"Today, EPA is taking a significant step forward in our efforts to insure that the world's most productive salmon fishery is safe from the risks that it faces from what could be one of the largest mines on earth," McCarthy stated in an interview.