前国防部长威廉·科恩（William Cohen）表示，环境保护局可能已经为审查拟议的阿拉斯加黄金和铜矿的许可申请提供了通常的程序。

自2014年2月以来，布里斯托尔湾源头的项目许可证一直处于困境，当时EPA根据《清洁水法》采用其权力来确定是否应限制限制以保护分水岭。该项目的支持者The Pebble Partnership表示，EPA应该等待权衡该项目的环境影响，直到许可申请程序开始。

On Nov. 5, Cohen told the House Science, Space and Technology Committee that a review by his firm, the Cohen Group, “has raised important questions” about EPA’s decision-making process on the project. The Oct. 5 report was funded by the Pebble Partnership, but Cohen says his conclusions are his own. The Natural Resources Defense Council says the report is full of errors and that EPA conducted “a methodical scientific review.”