CIRI deal on gold exploration

Cook Inlet Region Inc. signed a letter of agreement with Vancouver, B.C.-based Constantine Metal Resources Ltd. for lease rights to CIRI’s 20,942-acre Johnson Tract mineral prospect on the west side of Cook Inlet, south of Drift River. The prospect includes gold, zinc, lead, silver and copper mineralization and is near tidewater. Westmin Resources Ltd. explored the prospect in the late 1990s and drilled 88 drill tests but returned the property to CIRI. Anaconda Minerals made the original discovery in 1982. CIRI said it was pleased to associate with Constantine, partly because of the company’s good relations with the Haines community in exploring at its Palmer project in Southeast Alaska.

 

 Corps closes Pebble comments

 The public comment period on Pebble project “scoping” closed June 29 and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is proceeding with work on the project’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The DEIS is now planned to be completed in January, 2019. Pebble Partnership, the operating subsidiary for Northern Dynasty Minerals, which owns Pebble, has a small summer field season underway with two drill rigs and about 40 working at the site.  Northern Dynasty is meanwhile still working on getting a new partner after First Quantum Minerals withdrawal.