KENAI, Alaska (AP) - A company that sought to develop a major coal mine 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage has suspended applications for state permits.
The Peninsula Clarion (https://bit.ly/2o5XIDb) reports PacRim Coal has halted its permit process for a strip mine on the west side of Cook Inlet near the village of Tyonek (teye-OH-nek).
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources posted a notice of PacRim’s suspension on its website
The mine proposal drew strong opposition in part because it called for temporarily removing 11 miles (17.7 kilometers) of Middle Creek, a tributary of the Chuitna (choo-IT-na) River, a river significant to Cook Inlet salmon spawning.
The company said it would restore the stream after operating for more than two decades.
The Native Village of Tyonek calls PacRim’s permitting suspension “great news.”
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