Northern Dynasty sticks to proposal in battle to lift Pebble mine veto

me-metals: Despite encouragement from Trump administration officials, the company behind the controversial Pebble mine in Alaska hasn’t yet submitted a revised proposal that could unblock the stalled copper-gold project.

According to me-metals cited from mining.com, Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. hasn’t advanced an “updated submission” for its proposed Pebble mine, the US Environmental Protection Agency said in a status update posted online Monday, adding that “there is nothing currently before the agency to that effect.”

The EPA update follows last month’s decision by the US Justice Department to effectively uphold a veto on the project, dashing hopes that the Trump administration would roll back regulatory hurdles. The absence of a revamped proposal comes despite government officials advising Northern Dynasty that project changes could prompt the government to reconsider. An EPA spokesperson said there were discussions with agency leadership about a potential further submission that would inform any reconsideration.

It’s the latest twist in a years-long drama over the controversial project near Bristol Bay that comes as the Trump administration seeks to boost domestic supplies of minerals it considers critical to the US economy and national security. Northern Dynasty has touted Pebble as the world’s largest undeveloped copper-gold resource, but its plans have drawn opposition from prominent Republicans including the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., as well as conservationists and local fishing operations.

It’s not clear what project changes could possibly mollify EPA officials, but modifications to the handling of mining waste could help address concerns raised since President Donald Trump’s first term in office. when the US Army Corps of Engineers rejected an essential permit back in 2020.

Three years later, the project was blocked by former US President Joe Biden on concerns it would harm the prolific Bristol Bay salmon industry. The Biden-era Clean Water Act ban, described as a rarely used preemptive project veto, applied specifically to Pebble Limited Partnership’s plan as well as any future proposals targeting the deposit.

Northern Dynasty’s stock rallied earlier in the year following the election of Trump on bets that his pro-resource push would clear a path for the project to proceed. In July, the Vancouver-based firm said discussions with the EPA had taken place, but no settlement had been reached. The stock has fallen more than 60% since last month’s disclosures.

Northern Dynasty said in an Aug. 7 statement that it continued to have “active” negotiations with authorities for the withdrawal of the veto while at the same time pushing ahead with a case in an Alaskan federal district court. The company didn’t immediately respond to email and phone requests for comment.

source: mining.com