Alaska Natives sue EPA over Pebble mine veto, Northern Dynasty says

Northern Dynasty Minerals said on Wednesday two Alaska native village corporations had sued the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for its veto against the Canadian miner’s proposed Pebble mine in the state’s southwest region.

Iliamna Natives Limited and Alaska Peninsula Corporation, which represent the communities closest to the copper and gold mining project, sued the EPA for exceeding its authority related to the veto, Northern Dynasty said in a statement.

This lawsuit follows the one filed by the company in March against the EPA’s 2023 decision to prohibit the discharge of mining waste in Alaska’s Bristol Bay over concerns the materials would degrade the watershed and harm vital fishing ecosystems.

“Those who oppose Pebble have not provided any alternative that would improve the economy of this area. These two Native Village Corporations understand that the EPA and our opposition care little about their future,” said John Shively, CEO of the Pebble project.

The EPA, which claims the project would permanently destroy more than 2,000 acres of wetlands protected by the Clean Water Act, said it has no further information to provide as it is a pending litigation.

The proposed Pebble mine, which aims to tap one of the world’s largest copper and gold deposits, had gone thorough a lengthy approval and permitting process for decades, but its construction is yet to start.

(By Sourasis Bose; Editing by Shreya Biswas)