Alaska Natives sue EPA over Pebble mine veto, Northern Dynasty says

Reuters | June 26, 2024 | 7:12 am News USA Copper Gold Molybdenum 
Northern Dynasty to appeal latest negative Pebble permit decision
The Pebble project (Image courtesy of Northern Dynasty Minerals)

Northern Dynasty Minerals said on Wednesday two Alaska native village corporations had sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its veto against the Canadian miner’s proposed Pebble mine in the state’s southwest region.

Iliamna Natives Limited and Alaska Peninsula Corporation, which represent the communities closest to the copper and gold mining project, sued the EPA for exceeding its authority related to the veto, Northern Dynasty said in a statement.

US Supreme Court dismisses Alaska’s bid to keep Pebble project alive

This lawsuit follows the one filed by the company in March against the EPA’s 2023 decision to prohibit the discharge of mining waste in Alaska’s Bristol Bay over concerns the materials would degrade the watershed and harm vital fishing ecosystems.

“Those who oppose Pebble have not provided any alternative that would improve the economy of this area. These two Native Village Corporations understand that the EPA and our opposition care little about their future,” said John Shively, CEO of the Pebble project.

The EPA, which claims the project would permanently destroy more than 2,000 acres of wetlands protected by the Clean Water Act, said it has no further information to provide as it is a pending litigation.

The proposed Pebble mine, which aims to tap one of the world’s largest copper and gold deposits, had gone thorough a lengthy approval and permitting process for decades, but its construction is yet to start.

(By Sourasis Bose; Editing by Shreya Biswas)

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3 Comments

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  • Michael James Bue

    Pebble can be a green underground operation by leaving a large permanent crown pillar. No infrastructure, no massive ore stockpiles or waste dumps, no tailing storage within the watershed. What is the cost of a permanent crown pillar when you have billions of resource tonnes with the highest-grade resources below the crown pillar. There is no sense in having a massive open pit operation.

    • Tanya Matveeva

      @Michael James Bue I think it is a good suggestion, many huge open pits mines create so many problems after they’ve been finished that it’s not worth it. We should aspire to mine in a clever way, not a big way

  • trạm nghiền đá xây dựng

    Balancing environmental protection and economic growth is really tough….

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