Northern Dynasty’s US unit gets Alaska land use permit

VANCOUVER (miningweekly.com) – The US-based unit of Northern Dynasty Minerals, the Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP), has received approval for a miscellaneous land use permit (MLUP) from the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for its ongoing activities at the Pebble project, in south-west Alaska.

One of the largest undeveloped copper/gold deposits in the world, the long-stalled Pebble project has garnered significant interest from speculators lately, as they bet on the controversial project getting the nod from the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Discovered decades ago but never mined, the Pebble deposit has inspired intense controversy, as a broad and bipartisan coalition, including environmentalists, Alaska natives, and commercial fishermen, fought its planned development, leading the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2014 to stop the project in its tracks. The election of Trump, however, has fuelled hopes that a more mining-friendly EPA will allow the project to move forward. Since the US election day, Northern Dynasty's stock price has increased 326% by mid-February.

"The Alaska DNR and other state agencies have had an active oversight presence at the Pebble project site for more than a decade, and have confirmed that Pebble is a well-managed exploration project. We will continue our site operations in 2017 in full compliance with the state's permit conditions, and in a manner that protects the broader public interest in the lands and resources surrounding the Pebble property,” PLP CEO Tom Collier stated.

The PLP is in the process of reviewing in detail the MLUP it has received; however, Collier confirmed Pebble will be advancing a programme of work in Alaska in 2017 to prepare the project to initiate permitting under the Clean Water Act and National Environmental Policy Act.

The 2017 MLUP includes a requirement for a performance guarantee in the amount of $2-million related to any potential reclamation liability.

The PLP maintains an operations base in Iliamna, Alaska, with full-time staff responsible for care and maintenance of Pebble project equipment, facilities and installations. Each year, Pebble staff undertake a programme of inspections, and where necessary, make repairs to ensure public safety and enhance reclamation, at the 1 300-plus borehole sites on the property.

Northern Dynasty in November 2014 took the EPA to court over the agency’s alleged violation of the Federal Advisory Committee Act in advancing the EPA's Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment study and the subsequent pre-emptive veto process under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act of the company’s Pebble project.

The court's preliminary injunction of November 25, 2014, will remain in effect until May 4. The company recently reported that it, the PLP and US government representatives are actively engaged in discussions and are focused on achieving a resolution that will be agreeable to all parties.