VANCOUVER , July 18, 2014 /CNW/ - Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:
NDM; NYSE MKT: NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") reports that
while today's announcement from the US Environmental Protection Agency
("EPA") Region 10 is only a proposal at this time, we note the agency
is seemingly moving away from pre-emptively vetoing the Pebble Project
in favor of imposing specific conditions on future development
That said, we do not accept that EPA has the statutory authority to
impose conditions on development at Pebble, or any development project
anywhere in Alaska or the US, prior to the submission of a detailed
development plan and its thorough review by federal and state agencies
including review under the National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA").
Moreover, EPA's attempt to pre-emptively impose conditions on future
development at Pebble in the absence of completing an Environmental
Impact Statement ("EIA"), as is required of every major development
project in the United States , is causing significant and even critical
harm to our business interests and our abilities to fairly advance our
project. For this reason, we fully intend to continue our litigation
against EPA in order to halt the pre-emptive and unprecedented
regulatory process under Section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act, and
invalidate the conditions proposed by EPA Region 10.
It is important to remember that, in addition to the lawsuit brought by
Pebble and the State of Alaska against EPA, there are a number of
investigations yet underway with respect to EPA's Bristol Bay
Assessment and its pre-emptive regulatory process, including one by the
Office of the EPA Inspector General and another by the House Committee
on Oversight and Government Reform. There are also two bi-partisan
bills pending in the US House and Senate seeking to clarify that EPA
does not have authority to pre-emptively veto or otherwise restrict
development projects prior to the onset of federal and state
permitting.
In aggressively pursuing each of these remedies, the Pebble Limited
Partnership (the "Pebble Partnership") is aware that the precedent
established by EPA taking pre-emptive action at Pebble would be
devastating for the future of investment in the State of Alaska and
throughout the United States . We have already seen a group in Wisconsin
seeking pre-emptive action by the EPA on a mineral project in that
state.
EPA's proposal is based on a watershed assessment that its peer
reviewers found to be no better than a screening document, and that
EPA's professionals have recognized is missing the information needed
for a permitting decision. EPA's proposal is also based on mining
scenarios that are outdated and, in any event, would never qualify for
environmental permits. Thus, the EPA's use of the Bristol Bay
Assessment for its agency decision making is fundamentally flawed as it
is not scientifically or technically defensible.
The correct, legal, and defensible way forward is for EPA to suspend its
pre-emptive 404(c) process and allow us the full opportunity to have
our project reviewed by federal and state regulatory agencies,
including EPA, under NEPA.
Finally, while we believe the conditions for development at Pebble
proposed by EPA Region 10 are misguided and not based on sound science
or regulatory precedent, we continue to believe the project must be
developed in a way that protects clean water, healthy fish and wildlife
populations, and the Alaska Native communities that rely on them. The
Pebble Partnership is committed to working with EPA and other federal
and state regulatory agencies during the permitting process for the
Pebble Project to ensure that adequate protections exist for clean
water, healthy fisheries and other important natural resources, and
that the 'spirit' of EPA's proposed conditions are fulfilled.
About the Pebble Project
The Pebble Project is an initiative of the Pebble Partnership to
responsibly develop a globally significant copper, gold and molybdenum
deposit in southwest Alaska into a modern, long-life mine, which will
benefit not only the owner, but the people, culture and industries of
the State of Alaska , as well as suppliers, consultants and industries
in the Lower 48 United States of America.
A 2013 study authored by IHS Global Insight, entitled The Economic and Employment Contributions of a Conceptual Pebble Mine to
the Alaska and United States Economies found the Pebble Project has the potential to support 15,000 American
jobs and contribute more than $2.5 billion annually to US GDP over
decades of production. The IHS Global Insight study is available at www.northerndynasty.com.
The Pebble Project is located 200 miles southwest of Anchorage on state
land designated for mineral exploration and development. It is situated
in a region of rolling tundra approximately 1,000 feet above sea-level,
65 miles from tidewater on Cook Inlet and presents favourable
conditions for successful mine site and infrastructure development.
About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.
Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development company based
in Vancouver, Canada . Northern Dynasty's principal asset is the Pebble
Project in southwest Alaska, USA , an advanced-stage initiative to
develop one of the world's most important mineral resources.
Ronald W. Thiessen
President & CEO
Forward Looking Information and other Cautionary Factors
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed
"forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other
than statements of historical facts, that address exploration drilling,
exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company
expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes
the expectations expressed in its forward-looking statements are based
on reasonable assumptions, such statements should not be in any way
construed as guarantees of the ultimate size, quality or commercial
feasibility of the Pebble Project or of the Company's future
performance. Assumptions used by the Company to develop forward-looking
statements include the following: the Pebble Project will obtain all
required environmental and other permits and all land use and other
licenses, studies and development of the Pebble Project will continue
to be positive, and no geological or technical problems will occur.
The likelihood of future mining at the Pebble Project is subject to a
large number of risks and will require achievement of a number of
technical, economic and legal objectives, including obtaining necessary
mining and construction permits, completion of pre-feasibility and
final feasibility studies, preparation of all necessary engineering for
underground workings and processing facilities as well as receipt of
significant additional financing to fund these objectives as well as
funding mine construction. Such funding may not be available to the
Company on acceptable terms or on any terms at all. There is no known
ore at the Pebble Project and there is no assurance that the
mineralization at the Pebble Project will ever be classified as ore.
The need for compliance with extensive environmental and socio-economic
rules and practices and the requirement for the Company to obtain
government permitting can cause a delay or even abandonment of a
mineral project. The Company is also subject to the specific risks
inherent in the mining business as well as general economic and
business conditions. For more information on the Company, Investors
should review the Company's annual Form 40-F filing with the United
States Securities and Exchange Commission and its home jurisdiction
filings that are available at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.