fuel to the mine and a slurry of metal concentrate to the port. The slurry would be dewatered at the port before being shipped to a smelter, with a pipeline returning the water to the mine. Power to operate the mine would possibly come from a combination of overhead power lines and a submarine cable across Cook Inlet. Feasibility studies (detailed mine construction and operation plans) were prepared by Pebble Mines Corp. The company expected to apply for permits in 2012 at the earliest. Project timeline 2010: Nine Bristol Bay Tribes, commercial fishermen, and sportsmen requested the EPA conduct a Section 404c Environmental Assessment study under the Clean Water Act. EPA describes the study process: "Section 404(c) authorizes EPA to prohibit, restrict, or deny the discharge of dredged or fill material at defined sites in water of the United States (including wetlands) whenever it determines, after notice and opportunity for public hearing, that use of such sites for disposal would have an unacceptable adverse impact on one or more of various resources, including fisheries, wildlife, municipal water supplies, or recreational areas." 2012: EPA issued two drafts of the Environmental Assessment, concluding that the proposal for the Pebble Mine would negatively impact the Bristol Bay salmon. The public strongly agreed, with over 1 million comments supporting the EPA’s findings and scientists further verifying the data. 2013: The Alaska DNR signed and adapted a Determination of Reclassification and Plan Amendment to the Bristol Bay Area Plan. This plan increased the amount of land classified Wildlife Habitat and Public Recreation in the region. The final Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment (BBWA) was released, confirming that the Pebble Mine could not be operated without impacting Bristol Bay and harming salmon. In September 2013 Anglo American, one of the first and major investors in Pebble, withdrew from the project. 2014: Rio Tinto gifted its stake in the project to the Alaska Community Foundation and the Bristol Bay Native Corporation Education Foundation. 2015: EPA released its Proposed Determination suggesting to limit mining in the Bristol Bay region due to the irreversible and detrimental impacts it would have on the local salmon ecosystem. After its release, 89.5% of the country was in support of strong protections for Bristol Bay. 2016: The Inspector General came out in support of the EPA’s Watershed Assessment findings, ultimately encouraging limiting mining due to its unavoidable impact on the salmon wildlife in Bristol