Trump reverses Obama policy with huge Alaska goldmine despite outrage among environmental and indigenous groups

The mine requires 82 miles of road construction, a dredging port and will destroy nearly 2,300 acres of wetlands, but is expected to produce $500bn worth of gold, copper and other minerals

The Trump administration is going to proceed with the development of the largest gold and copper mine in the country, a mine the Obama administration did not develop after learning it could permanently harm the region's sockeye salmon population.

Pebble Mine, which would provide access to gold, copper and other minerals worth up to $500bn, would be built in Alaska over the Bristol Bay watershed, which is also the world's largest sockeye salmon fishery.

The Washington Post obtained the US Army Corps of Engineers' final environmental analysis on the mine. The report suggested that the mine "would not be expected to have a measurable effect on fish numbers" in the region.

The mine had previously been considered under the Obama administration, but was nixed when it was determined its construction could cause irreparable harm to the fish population.

The mine could receive a green light from the federal government as early as the end of this year, but local activists and national environmental groups have been working to stop its construction through protests and legal battles.

Building the mine would destroy nearly 2,300 acres of wetlands and 105 miles of streams, according to the US Army Corps of Engineers' report.

The sponsors of the mine claim the environmental risks have been substantially reduced, and that the latest iteration of the project is "dramatically different" from the version offered under the Obama administration.

The Army Corps of Engineers' report reflects that claim, though local landowners are sceptical.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Jason Metrokin, the CEO of Bristol Bay Native, said the Army Corps of Engineers ignored input from experts and constituencies in their latest assessment.

Mr Metrokin claimed the assessment was "rushed, it's been closed-door, and they haven't taken into account the number of concerns coming from both state and federal agencies, our congressional delegation and the public at large."

"Over 80 per cent of our shareholders continue to oppose the project," Mr Metrokin said.

Many landowners in the region have stated that they will not sell their land to be used for the mine.

The 2020 US election may determine whether or not those landowners have to put that commitment to the test.

Just as Donald Trump reversed Barack Obama's decision regarding the mine, it is entirely possible that - should Mr Trump lose - his presumptive rival, Joe Biden, would reverse course and block the mine.

Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier said even under a Biden White House, he believes the mine project will come to fruition.

"I believe we'll be able to convince a Biden administration, if that's what we have, that this is an appropriate project and move ahead," Mr Collier said. "[The Army Corps of Engineers' environmental report] is not a document that justifies a veto, it's a document that justified a permit. They're not going to be able to just flip a switch and turn that around."

If built, the mine would span more than 13 miles and require the construction of 82 miles of double-lane road, a natural gas pipeline, the construction of a 270-megawatt power plant, storage facilities and a dredging port. Trucks travelling to and from the plant would make more than a dozen round trips per day.

It is estimated the mine could produce at a rate of 180,000 tons per day.