EPA accused of collusion after staffer admits he aided Pebble Mine foes

A worker with the Pebble Mine project test-drills in the Bristol Bay region of Alaska near the village of Iliamma in 2007. (Image from archives)

Phil North was no fan of the proposed Pebble Mine, so when he was asked in 2010 to offer feedback on a draft petition urging the Environmental Protection Agency to kill the project, he pitched in with suggested language and edits.

Given that Mr. North was then a staff scientist with the EPA working on the Pebble Mine, however, his collaboration with outside advocates, which he discussed in a deposition released Thursday, has only confirmed the worst suspicions of House Republicans.

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