Ambler: 250 million tonnes of ore?
About 250 million tonnes (1 tonne equals 2,200 lbs.) of ore-grade minerals have been identified in the Ambler Mining District, Trilogy Metals Inc. said in a presentation to the Resource Development Council in Anchorage. The Ambler Mining District is an area in the western Brooks Range with several identified mineral discoveries including one (Arctic) that is well along in development planning. Identified resources in the region include 43 million tonnes of high-grade copper/lead/silver/zinc and lead at the Arctic deposit that is most advanced and 182 million tonnes of lower-grade copper and cobalt at Bornite, which is nearby. Other confirmed deposits include Smucker, at 11.6 million mt (high grade copper); Sunshine, at 20 million mt (copper); Sun, at 11 million mt (copper); Horse Creek, at 10 million mt (copper); Shungnak, at 1 million mt (copper), as well as Snow, a mineralized area where ore resources have not yet been determined.

Trilogy’s plan at Arctic is to file for a Notice of Intent for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Arctic mine development in 2020, which would get preparation of the draft EIS underway with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers as lead agency. The EIS process is expected to take at least two years. The key federal permit is a Section 404 dredge and fill permit, to be issued by the Army Corps. State permits, particularly a large dam safety permit, are needed from the Department of Natural Resources.

Meanwhile, the public comment period on the DEIS for an industrial access road that could be built from the Dalton Highway closes Oct. 29. A final environmental impact statement could come by the end of the year. Typically the federal Record of Decision comes 30 days later. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is lead agency on the road EIS. The key decision to be made by BLM is choosing among three alternative road routes of 211 miles, 228 miles and 322 miles. The shortest route of 211 miles crosses more of the Gates of the Arctic national park and while it is less costly to built it is also attracting more opposition from conservation groups. Litigation should be expected.

Lawsuits filed over Pebble/EPA
Bristol Bay groups opposing the Pebble mine filed a lawsuit in federal court Oct. 8 to force the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to continue an initiative EPA had dropped that would have preempted large-scale mines in the Bristol Bay watershed. Pebble Partnership, the mine developer, said it believes the suit will be dismissed because the 2014 initiative by the federal agency, started under the Obama administration, was an unprecedented action to ban an activity prior to a proposal being filed as an application.

The coalition of five groups filing the suit said EPA, now under the Trump administration, failed to consider findings the agency made to justify its original action in 2014. EPA justified its recent withdrawal of the initiative on the grounds that Pebble has now filed its permits and is proceeding through normal regulatory processes. That EPA still retains the authority to preempt other agencies in overturning permits is not disputed. Only the preemptive veto prior to permits being approved is in contest. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers could approve the Environmental Impact Statement for Pebble in 2020 and issue permits but there will almost surely be lawsuits over adequacy of the environmental review. The EPA itself, under Trump, has raised questions about the EIS.