Northern Dynasty president and CEO Ron Thiessen on Friday expressed his disappointment in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) decision to file a motion for remand with vacatur in relation to a lawsuit brought by Trout Unlimited and other environmental groups against the EPA, challenging the federal agency’s July 2019 decision to withdraw its previously issued ‘proposed determination’ with respect to the Pebble project, in Alaska.

“Here we go again,” said Thiessen.

“It is unfortunate that politics continues to interfere with scientific evidence. Under President Joe Biden, we once again find ourselves dealing with Obama-era policies that were inappropriate then, and are inappropriate now.  In the end, science and facts prevail over political pressure and misinformation. We fought and won against Former President Obama’s heavy-handed political attempts to kill the project, and we will do the same again.”

In a statement released to the media, Northern Dynasty subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP) said that it remained the company’s position that the withdrawal of the pre-emptive veto by the EPA was sound and appropriate. 

It also called for decisions about the Pebble project to be made based on the established environmental review process of an actual mine plan.

PLP noted that the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) published an environmental impact statement for Pebble in 2020 with input from agencies, including the EPA, that stated that the project could be done without harm to the region’s fisheries or water resources. 

“Our focus remains on working through the formal appeal process via the USACE."

“As the Biden Administration seeks lower carbon emissions for energy production, they should recognise that such change will require significantly more mineral production – notably copper.  The Pebble project remains an important domestic source for the minerals necessary for the administration to reach its green energy goals.”