Pebble Mine

Pebble says it will meet the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deadline for a plan to offset damages to wetlands in the Koktuli River watershed, but the secretly-recorded "Pebble Tapes" have triggered additional scrutiny about the state’s apparent assistance with the plan.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says in a letter to the Pebble Limited Partnership that the company has to provide a new mitigation plan to receive a federal permit.

The Army Corps of Engineers plans to release its final environmental review for the proposed Pebble Mine later this summer.  Last month, the Corps changed which transportation corridor it recommends. The route cuts through land owned by several Bristol Bay entities that refuse to grant Pebble access to their properties. 

Offsetting a project’s potential impacts to wetlands usually means restoring or protecting wetlands that serve the same purpose as those being altered or destroyed by development. Pebble is proposing to offset its impacts by repairing sewer systems in three communities near the site.

The regional corporation weighed in Aug. 31 on the debate around the governor's letter to a potential investor in the proposed project, saying it undermined the regulatory process.

The company responsible for Pebble Mine saw a 60% surge in share price on the heels of the EPA's update.

The EPA's 100-page comment on the Pebble Mine draft EIS cited a study focusing on the growth and development of young salmon in the Bristol Bay watershed.

Representatives from the Environmental Protection agency came from Washington, D.C. and Seattle to meet with fishermen and community organizations.

A Superior Court judge Friday dismissed a Pebble-backed lawsuit against a regional seafood development association in Bristol Bay. It’s a legal victory for the association, which was sued by six of its members last month. 

The Iliamna village corporation has reached a right-of-way agreement with the Pebble Limited Partnership. This would allow Pebble access to lands that could prove critical to the development of the project. The community is 17 miles from where Pebble wants to develop its mine. 

Last month, six commercial fishermen filed a lawsuit against the regional seafood association in Bristol Bay to which they belong. The lawsuit, funded by the Pebble Limited Partnership, challenges more than $250,000 in funds the association had spent on groups that oppose the Pebble Mine. Now, the Dunleavy administration has added its voice to the dispute.