(CNN) A controversial gold and copper mine proposed in Alaska was given a major push forward Friday as the Trump administration issued a final report concluding the Pebble Mine project would not cause long-term harm to one of the world's largest remaining salmon runs.
The new report, by the Army Corps of Engineers, is a sharp reversal to the Obama administration Environmental Protection Agency's conclusions of the project, which essentially blocked progress on the mine because of environmental concerns by citing the potential for permanent damage to the pristine Bristol Bay watershed.
The Pebble Mine project has been a lightning rod for controversy for some two decades and has been widely assailed by numerous interest groups in Alaska and the lower states, and also faced opposition from many Alaskans.
The new report by the Army Corps is a major triumph for the project developers, illustrating the Trump administration's opposite approach to the project from the Obama administration and echoing other large environmental reversals it has ordered on other findings from the previous administration.
Perhaps the new report's most striking finding is that the colossal mine and its development "would not be expected to have a measurable effect on fish numbers and result in long-term changes to the health of the commercial fisheries in Bristol Bay."
This language contrasts sharply with the conclusion of the Obama administration. In 2014, after three years of peer-reviewed study, the Obama administration's EPA invoked a rarely used provision of the Clean Water Act to try to protect Bristol Bay after finding that a mine "would result in complete loss of fish habitat due to elimination, dewatering, and fragmentation of streams, wetlands, and other aquatic resources" in some areas of the bay. "All of these losses would be irreversible," the agency said at the time.
CNN reported last year that the company behind the proposed mine secretly collaborated with Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, a Republican, to lobby the Trump administration to move forward with the project, and that the EPA told staff scientists it would no longer oppose Pebble Mine one day after Dunleavy met with President Donald Trump in a meeting aboard Air Force One.
The Bristol Bay watershed and area is regarded as one of the world's most important salmon fisheries, producing nearly half of the world's annual wild sockeye salmon catch. Its ecological resources also support 4,000-year-old indigenous cultures, as well as about 14,000 full- and part-time jobs, according to the EPA's 2014 report.
Andy Wink, executive director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association (BBRSDA) said there's no precedent for a mine like Pebble's proposal coexisting with wild salmon runs.
"If this administration values America's food and job security then our federal agencies should be taking an extra hard look at this project and doing everything they can to protect Bristol Bay and its 14,500 fishing and seafood jobs," Wink said.
Tom Collier -- the CEO of Pebble Limited Partnership, the project's developer -- said in a statement Friday that the report shows "returning salmon won't be harmed, subsistence fishing won't be harmed, and the commercial fishing industry won't be harmed."
Collier said the next steps for the project include the Army Corps' ultimate decision on the application to develop the mine and a state permitting process. He said the project, which would involve a multibillion-dollar construction phase and hundreds of millions of dollars more in annual activity, could serve as an economic boost for Alaska.
A spokesperson for Pebble, which is owned by Canadian company Northern Dynasty Minerals, told CNN the current plan for the mine differs from the hypothetical plan assessed by the Obama-era EPA, and includes water management strategy, fish-habitat models and mine facilities that are in different locations.
Dennis McLerran -- the former head of EPA Region 10, which produced the report previously blocking Pebble Mine -- told CNN the new report is "counter to the input EPA received from the world's best fisheries scientists."
The proposed project would involve an open pit mine, a natural gas pipeline, a 270-megawatt powerplant and new access roads, according to the report.
The report did outline some environmental impact, including the removal of 99 miles of streambed habitat for mine construction.
Local leaders of indigenous groups and a commercial fishing organization released a joint statement, saying the Army Corps' new report ignores science and that "the proposed gold and copper mine will devastate Bristol Bay's waters and its world-class fishery."
Environmentalists say they will continue to challenge the project in court.
"The Army Corps is jamming this through without regard for science or what the public wants -- and they know it," said Joel Reynolds, senior attorney with the Nature Program at the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Pebble Mine is a failed investment and an environmental disaster waiting to happen."