| The Pebble Mine, located near the headwaters of the Bristol Bay watershed in southwestern Alaska, is in the final permitting stage by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is the lead agency responsible for preparing an environmental impact statement and issuing a required Section 404 Clean Water Act permit for the project. The Pebble deposit is a massive low-grade sulfide ore body expected to produce gold, copper and molybdenum. Northern Dynasty, the Canadian mining company developing the project, says Pebble is the most significant undeveloped copper and gold resource in the world. The project has generated over 1 million comments in opposition due to concerns regarding the water resource impacts and the potential threat to the salmon fisheries in the event of a catastrophic tailings dam failure. In 2014, due to concerns regarding these impacts, EPA issued a preemptive veto over the Corps’ issuance of a Clean Water Act permit. The EPA’s veto was subsequently withdrawn in 2019. The EPA and Corps will soon reach a decision, likely within the next couple of months, on whether to allow the project to proceed. This webinar will explore the status of the permit review process and implications if the mine is ultimately permitted. Other interested parties have been invited. Register HERE |
