AK Legislators Call on Dunleavy to Oppose Pebble Mine

Alaska Public Media is reporting that Representatives Bryce Edgmon and Louise Stutes recently sent a strong letter to Governor Mike Dunleavy calling on him to oppose the Pebble Mine. BBRSDA has obtained a copy of the letter (LINK) and urges fishermen interested in the Pebble Mine issue to read it.

The letter specifically points out that the Alaska Legislature has a role in deciding whether Pebble would receive state permits and whether the State would provide lands to support Pebble’s compensatory mitigation plan (CMP), stating:

As an initial matter, our interest in Pebble is intense given the risk of the proposed mine to one of Alaska’s most valuable and unique resources; Bristol Bay wild salmon. The subsistence, commercial and sport fisheries made possible by this remarkable resource can only continue with careful stewardship, as the people of the region have done for thousands of years. Further, our interest in Pebble is also formal, as the legislature has a role in whether it should receive state permits, see AS 38.05.142, and whether permanent preservation of more than 640 acres of State lands to advance Pebble is appropriate, see AS 38.05.300. Should your administration be working with PLP to commit State lands to support compensatory mitigation for Pebble, or the promise of such, we urge you to coordinate at this time with the legislative branch to avoid misleading regulators, the public, especially including the people of Bristol Bay, or PLP, as to the possibility of the use of State lands for such purposes.

The CMP concept described the Pebble Tapes contains numerous problems, including the fact that the Alaska Legislature would need to approve any transfer of State lands exceeding 640 acres. At a minimum and notwithstanding many other issues raised by Bristol Bay stakeholders, BBRSDA believes that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers cannot issue a permit including a CMP and in-kind land transfer plan that has not been approved by Alaska’s Legislature, which is not in session until January 2021. In the Pebble Tapes, Pebble’s former CEO Tom Collier affirmed that the Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP) could not advance its current CMP without such approvals, which is also pointed out in the Representatives’ letter: 

For our part, we see no way that PLP can advance a compensatory mitigation plan without the State’s involvement, as there are not sufficient alternative landowner options for in-kind mitigation in the Koktuli River Watershed. We are not alone in this belief. As Tom Collier himself said in the Pebble Tapes, PLP “would not be able to respond positively to [the Corp’s compensatory mitigation plan requirement] if the state weren’t there as our partner moving forward with this plan.”

Additionally, the letter highlights significant concerns regarding how the Dunleavy Administration has handled the Pebble Mine project, saying:

Governor, the record is clear, to this point you and others within your administration have worked with PLP to advance a proposed mine that has no basis in reality and has no place in Bristol Bay. While there is no doubt that a governor’s job should involve encouraging development projects, such work should be done in the light of day and on behalf of Alaskans. It should not be done behind the scenes in support of a risky and irresponsible project run by executives who deceive regulators and the public, and interfere in our elections, to achieve their aim.

The letter concludes with a clear ask that Governor Dunleavy to oppose the current Pebble Mine plan:

At a time when Americans of all political persuasions find the integrity of their federal government institutions to be in question, we need leadership from you to prove to Alaskans that our state governmental institutions are strong. We therefore call on you to oppose Pebble’s current discredited 20-year mine plan and, specifically to not stand by PLP in deed or word if it seeks to use State land in any way to respond to the Corps’ compensatory mitigation requirements.

The Pebble Limited Partnership is the principal asset and a wholly owned U.S. subsidiary of Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.