The Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP) has secured the right to use portions of the Alaska Peninsula Corporation (APC) land for the construction and operation of transportation infrastructure associated with the proposed mine.

PLP, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadian junior Northern Dynasty, secured the rights through an agreement with an Alaska Native village corporation with extensive land holdings near the Pebble site.

"Today's agreement not only secures access to the Pebble project site for construction and operation of the proposed mine," said Northern Dynasty president and CEO Ron Thiessen, "it also represents a significant milestone in the developing relationship between Pebble and the Alaska Native people of the region.

The APC lands addressed in the agreement mirror the transportation corridor identified in PLP's project description, as submitted to the US Army Corps of Engineers late last year to initiate the federal environmental impact statement permitting process. It includes land south of Lake Iliamna to link a port site on Cook Inlet to a ferry landing site west of the APC village of Kohkanok, as well as land north of Lake Iliamna to link a ferry landing site west of the APC village of Newhalen to the site of the proposed Pebble mine.

To secure its right to use defined portions of APC land for the construction and operation of transportation infrastructure, PLP will make yearly toll payments to APC, and pay other fees prior to and during project construction and operation. In addition, APC will be granted 'preferred contractor' status at Pebble, which provides a preferential opportunity to bid on Pebble-related contracts located on APC lands.

Finally, the parties have agreed to negotiate a profit sharing agreement that will ensure APC and its shareholders benefit directly from the profits generated by mining activity in the region.

Shares in Northern Dynasty advanced 10% on the TSX on Tuesday, and have been on an upward trend since the November 7 US election in which Alaska voters elected mining-friendly Mike Dunleavy as new governor.

Alaska voters also rejected Ballot Measure 1, known as the Stand For Salmon initiative, which would have re-written the state's regulatory framework and habitat protections for anadramous fish, and was positioned by its supporters as a vote against the Pebble project.

The Pebble mine, said to be the world’s biggest undeveloped gold and copper project, is currently advancing through the federal permitting process. The US Army Corps of Engineers is preparing an environmental review of the mine, with preliminary results expected in January.

The project is facing significant opposition from environmental groups.