What the Heck is Pebble Mine?
By: Dale Lynn
Tags: Mining, Alaska, Environment, Environmental Issues, Pebble Mine

The Battle for Alaskan Paradise

Both sides have dealt tough blows over the years. At the end of the Obama administration Bristol Bay was towering over a battered Pebble Mine, fueled by assessments from the Environmental Protection Agency that determined the mine would not be able to operate without significantly harming the environment. Specifically, the assessment concluded that:

“Water quality would be diminished by uncollected leakage of tailings and waste rock leachates from the containment system, which would occur during routine operations…”

The final report estimated nearly 100 miles of streams could dry up, with up to 50 miles of flowing streams becoming dangerously toxic.

But Pebble Mine rose back to its feet when President Donald Trump came into power. The administration change allowed the partnership to submit a permit under the Clean Water Act. This is the farthest the project had ever gotten.

Both sides began swinging again in July 2020, spurred on by the release of the Army Corps of Engineers’ Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The report claims that the mine could not be permitted because it would cause substantial, permanent damage to a large area of streams and wetlands. Save Bristol Bay was glad to hear it, but UTBB is still livid, insisting that the report was sped through and was too lenient.

A tweet from President Trump’s son speaking out in opposition of Pebble Mine.

The Army Corps spoke up again on Aug. 24, this time outlining what changes Pebble would need to make in order for their permit to be further reviewed. Pebble began working to submit revisions before the end of November, confident that they’d be able to secure the permit.

On the same day, both Alaskan senators publicly denounced the mine for the first time, although both claim to have opposed Pebble all along. The Republican senators each attempted to show support for both sides of the fight while ultimately condemning Pebble Mine. Lisa Murkowski praised the economic importance of the mining industry, while Dan Sullivan excused his previous attempt to move the mine forward, claiming that he only wanted the permitting process to be “fair”. Senator Sullivan had this to say:

“I have been clear that given the important aquatic system and world-class fishery resources at stake, Pebble, like all resource development projects in Alaska, has to pass a high bar — a bar that the Trump administration has determined Pebble has not met. I support this conclusion — based on the best available science and a rigorous, fair process — that a federal permit cannot be issued…”

The fight took a new tone on Sept. 21 when the Environmental Investigation Agency released twelve videos of Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier and NDM CEO Rob Thiessen talking to investigators who were disguised as investors. In the videos, dubbed “The Pebble Tapes”, the CEOs boast about how they’ve manipulated government officials to help the mine, and that they expect the mine to be open for 200 years, which is ten times what their permit says. Tom Collier resigned the next day.

Backed by the Army Corps, Bristol Bay slammed a resounding blow into Pebble Mine on November 20, causing the project to crumple to the ground. Pebble Mine was denied under the Clean Water Act. The head of the Army Corps in Alaska, Colonel Damon Delarosa, said at the end of the decision that Pebble Mine is “contrary to the public interest.”