"What we know from the vote on the Save Our Salmon initiative is that a modest majority of Lake and Peninsula Borough voters oppose the Pebble Partnership's plans for a gold, copper and molybdenum mine in Western Alaska.

The Oct. 4 vote boiled down to a local referendum on the mine project. Voters approved a law that would ban any mining project of 640 acres or more that adversely affected salmon streams in the borough.

The borough vote won't be the last word. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to make a preliminary report on its Bristol Bay watershed assessment before the end of the year, one based on field work including the best available information from hydrology, seismology, topography, meteorology and any other discipline that applies; local knowledge in Dillingham and about six villages in the area; an examination of the development site and a vetting of proposed operations."

Get the Story:
Our view: Pebble vote (The Anchorage Daily News 10/19)

Related Stories:
John Adcox: Native corporation ignores people on Pebble Mine (10/4)
Jason Metrokin: Alaska Native corporation against Pebble Mine (9/26)
Opinion: Wes Studi shilling for developers of controversial mine (9/22)
Opinion: Pebble Mine supporter insults Alaska Native leaders (9/9)