Pebble Mine questions state Habitat Division move

Juneau Empire:

The Pebble Mine’s would-be developers are concerned about the state Habitat Division’s current home in the Department of Natural Resources, according to a letter they wrote to Gov. Sarah Palin. “There is a perception that Gov. (Frank) Murkowski weakened state regulatory oversight when he moved the Habitat Division out of the Department of Fish and Game and into the Department of Natural Resources,” wrote Bruce Jenkins, interim general manager of Pebble Mines Corp., which wants to open a multi-metal mine in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska. Murkowski’s administration moved the Habitat Division to promote development of natural resources. In her election campaign, Palin criticized the move, but she has not restored the division to Fish and Game. House Bill 41, proposed last year and now being considered by the Alaska Legislature, would return the Habitat Division to its former home.

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