STAYING THE COURSE

STAYING THE COURSE

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northerndynastyminerals.com/news/news-releases/2023/northern-dynasty-timeline-updates-for-u.s-army-corps-to-comment-on-future-plans-and-u.s-supreme-court-review-of-alaska-case/Northern Dynasty: Timeline Updates for U.S. Army Corps to Comment on Future Plans and U.S. Supreme Court Review of Alaska Case

Read the Press Release

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After more false starts than the fabled horse race the Palio of Siena it appears that the
vaunted Pebble copper/gold project of Alaska may be about to reenter the fray. First run in 1644, the Palio has endured recurring political turmoil to survive and prosper.
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​Each edition is marked by the delay at the start caused by the number of attempts it takes to get the horses to break in an even line. Perhaps the long-suffering shareholders of Pebble owner Northern Dynasty Minerals can take heart from the Palio’s history and tradition.

After a decade of administrative and legal hurdles, a Supreme Court action by the Alaskan Government may provide the company with a roadmap for relief and a reversal of the project’s latest stumbling block, an Environmental Protection Agency veto.

The EPA issued a determination against development of the Pebble mine in January, 2023 effectively usurping Alaska’s ability to protect and develop responsibly its own natural resources. This despite the EPA being a federal agency while the Pebble deposit sits on state-owned land designated for mineral exploration and development.

According to Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy; “Our constitution is clear. Alaska is responsible for utilizing, developing and conserving all of the State’s natural resources for the maximum benefit of its people. “Bureaucrats in Washington DC are exercising unbridled and unlawful power to choke off any further discussion on this important decision affecting so many Alaskans.”

The action appears particularly pertinent given the Biden Administration pledge to reduce U.S.reliance on fossil fuels and encourage the move to electrification for which copper is a crucial element. Currently, most of the world’s top copper projects are domiciled outside the U.S. while 5 major local deposits have been stalled because of domestic permitting and legal restrictions.

The largest of those is Pebble with 6.5 billion tonnes of measured and indicated and 4.5 billion tonnes of inferred resources which would qualify it as a Tier 1 resource in any other global mining jurisdiction. The State of Alaska is taking its case to the Supreme Court on matters of constitutional significance. The court is expected to rule later this quarter on whether it will hear its case.