Revised Pebble plan irked Walker

Gov. Bill Walker asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to suspend work on the Environmental Impact Statement for the big Pebble copper/gold/molybdenum project near Iliamna, basing the request on the lack of an economic feasibility determination by the owner, Northern Dynasty Minerals. However, Army corps officials said they cannot use economics in the EIS analysis, which focuses on environmental and community impacts.

Part of what is concerning the state, we were told, is a feeling that Pebble’s revised smaller mine design is mainly intended to get the project through regulatory hurdles. One a mine is operating it would expand toward the larger project proposed earlier, and which prompted opposition from communities. Officials also told us that a revised mine plan submitted to the corps after the company’s permit application last December represented a 25 percent expansion of production and tailings storage, illustrating that Northern Dynasty’s ultimate plan is still uncertain.