| Location | |
|---|---|
  Pebble Location of the Pebble mining project | |
| State | Alaska |
| Country | United States |
| Coordinates | 59°53′50″N 155°17′43″W / 59.89722°N 155.29528°W |
| History | |
| Discovered | 1988 |
| Owner | |
| Company | Northern Dynasty Minerals |
| Website | Pebble project webpage |
| Year of acquisition | 2001 |
Pebble Mine is the common name of a proposed copper-gold-molybdenum mining project in the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska, near Lake Iliamna and Lake Clark.[1] It was discovered in 1987, optioned by Northern Dynasty Minerals in 2001, explored in 2002, and drilled from 2002-2013 with discovery in 2005. Preparing for the permitting process began and administrative review lasted over 13 years.
As of November 2020 the mine developer, Northern Dynasty Minerals, still sought federal permits from the United States Coast Guard[2] and the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement. State permitting would then follow, which the developer expected to take up to three years.[3] In November 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) denied a permit for the proposed mine discharge plan.[4][5]
On September 9, 2021, it was reported that the United States Environmental Protection Agency had "asked a federal court to allow for Clean Water Act protections for parts of the bay."[6] On January 31, 2023, the EPA effectively vetoed the project, using a rarely invoked power to restrict development to protect watersheds.[7]
- ^ "Pebble Project". Juneau, AK: Alaska Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
- ^ "Public Notice 02-20" (PDF). Juneau, AK: U.S. Coast Guard. July 6, 2020.
- ^ "Northern Dynasty receives Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Alaska's Pebble Project" (PDF). Vancouver, BC: Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. July 24, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
millmanwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Fountain, Henry (November 25, 2020). "Alaska's Controversial Pebble Mine Fails to Win Critical Permit, Likely Killing It". The New York Times. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Reference2021_1was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bohrer, Becky; Whittle, Patrick (January 31, 2023). "Alaska gold, copper mine blocked over environmental worries". AP News. The Associated Press. Retrieved February 4, 2023.