Michael Conathan is the Director of Ocean Policy at the Center for American Progress. A shipping container in Dillingham, AK shows the vast majority of residents’ sentiments about the Pebble Mine. CREDIT: Michael Conathan A report released last week by the Environmental Protection Agency has led Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) to announce his opposition to a massive mining project proposed for construction in the watershed of two of his state’s most productive salmon rivers.