Readers of PNG know that the Pebble Mine is once again on the verge of elimination {14.06.17} thanks to the tireless opposition of tribal and conservation organizations who fight to save the Bristol Bay salmon run and irreversible damage to a pristine ecosystem. [photo credit: C. Arnold] A two prong offense in court rooms and boardrooms of financial backers has produced results. The regime worked fast to undo the 2014 EPA restrictions set by the previous administration. However, a stunning reversal by the Army Corps of Engineers to impose a requirement for a rigorous mitigation plan again put the reality of the project in serious doubt. The decision was not an outright denial of federal permits, but a difficult regulatory hurdle for the sole remaining partner of the Pebble Partnership joint venture, Northern Dynasty Minerals of Canada.
Pebble Partnership shot itself in the foot a month after the Army Corp's sudden reversal. The incident occurred because of an undercover investigation by the non-profit Environmental Investigation Agency, headquartered in London. Two investigators posing as Chinese investors interested in the mine asked to meet with Tom Collier and Ron Theissen, CEOs of Pebble Partnership and its parent company, Northern Dynasty. The CEOs were interested in talking because Northern Dynasty had lost a series of partners as the project encountered more public opposition. Mitsubishi, Anglo-American, Rio Tinto, and First Quantum Minerals all abandoned the project, leaving the remaining mining company cash-strapped. Global financial companies have also backed away in the face of pressure from NRDC and conservation allies. The financial services firm, Cantor Fitzgerald, the chief fundraiser for Northern Dynasty, is also being pressured to sever ties to the Pebble Mine project.
Undercover video tapes released after the meetings were a bombshell. In the tapes Collier and Thiessen can be seen boasting about their political connections at the federal and state level, including to Alaska's governor, Mike Dunleavy. What is more damaging to the company's credibility is the admission of a hidden agenda long believed to exist by mine opponents: the current proposal for a twenty-year mine is really a Trojan Horse for a huge 200-year mine to be gouged out of the Bristol Bay wilderness. One of the investigators asks Collier, "So the likelihood is pretty much 100% almost?", referring to the mine's planned expansion beyond it current scope. Collier replies unequivocally, "Yes." That response is a direct contradiction of his congressional testimony in 2019 that Pebble Partnership has, "no current plans...for expansion." Independent analysis shows that a twenty-year mine would lose $3 billion. Northern Dynasty needs a much bigger mine to turn a profit. Such a gargantuan project would generate 10 million tons of mining wastes contaminated with toxins. One reason an effective mitigation plan is nearly impossible to draft.
In the wake of the scandal generated by his admission on tape, Collier was forced to resign, but the zombie project continues to menace Bristol Bay. Tribal organizations, NRDC and allies continue the good fight to restore the restrictions set by EPA during the Obama-Biden administration that would permanently end this mine in the wrong place for good. US Person asks: Joe, are you reading this post? Add this task to your 100-day to do list.