Map the course of the Pebble Mine's origin, proposal and permitting process in our time line below.
National Fisherman and Pacific Marine Expo will host a live discussion on Pebble Mine with industry leaders on Nov. 19 as part of Expo Online.
Check here for the latest news, as well as comprehensive coverage of the mine's permitting and political process.
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Rally on Rewind: Pebble Mine fight carries on
Eight years ago this week, representatives of Bristol Bay Tribes, commercial fishermen, seafood processors, Pacific Northwest and Alaska fisheries, local chefs, and other stakeholders convened in Seattle for a rally to urge the U.S. EPA to veto Pebble Mine.
Most of us are well aware of the fact that the fight to stop the construction of this mine at the headwaters of Bristol Bay’s world-famous and unparalleled salmon streams has been ongoing for more than two decades.
This anniversary of the rally, organizers say, is the perfect time to remember that permanent protections are the only solution that will end this fight.
October 21, 2021
New court ruling clears path for Bristol Bay Clean Water Act protections
Bristol Bay fishing advocates say a federal court ruling Friday, Oct. 29, enables the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to restart a process to protect the bay watershed from plans to develop the Pebble Mine under the federal Clean Water Act.
“The specter of a massive open-pit mine and waste dump has been looming over the biggest, wildest, most productive sockeye salmon run on the planet for long enough. Pebble threatens livelihoods. It threatens salmon. And it threatens people,” said SalmonState Executive Director Tim Bristol said after the decision. “Now that the courts have put the ball back in the EPA’s court, it’s up to the EPA to listen to its scientists and to Alaskans, to finish the job, and to end the threat of the proposed Pebble Mine before the salmon return.”
August 17, 2021
Pebble Mine owners discuss delay in appeals process
Northern Dynasty Minerals announced this week that its appeal of the Pebble Mine decision is receiving new oversight and is likely to take a year or longer.
In November 2020, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rejected the mining company’s permit application to build Pebble Mine at the headwaters of Alaska’s Bristol Bay under its subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership, following a battle among local residents, Native tribes and fishing stakeholders that spanned three decades.
September 9, 2021
Alaska’s Bristol Bay gets protection promise from EPA
On Thursday, Sept. 9, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it will reinstate a clean water protection proposal for Alaska’s Bristol Bay.
“This announcement is a historic step forward in the long fight to protect Bristol Bay, our fishery, and our people,” said Robert Heyano, president of United Tribes of Bristol Bay. “The people of Bristol Bay are counting on the EPA to listen to the science and finish the job of protecting our lands and waters."
June 8, 2021
Road block: Alaska Native group protects land coveted by Pebble Mine developers
The road to Pebble Mine is getting rougher.
Pedro Bay Corp., a Native organization in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region, announced late last month that nearly 90 percent of its shareholders voted in favor of conservation easements for more than 44,000 of the corporation’s 92,100 acres of land in southwest Alaska. The agreement would make the land off-limits to development, including Pebble Corp.’s proposed mining road.
“This transaction supports the values of our community members by protecting their land, their subsistence, and their traditional way of life,” said Pedro Bay Corp. CEO Matt McDaniel in a statement. “This is an opportunity that will provide our community benefits and economic value in perpetuity. After years of consideration, the shareholders have now made an informed decision on how to manage and protect their privately held ancestral lands.”
February 2, 2021
Bristol Bay leaders call to close the door on Pebble Mine
With appeals flying in efforts to overturn the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' denial of the Pebble Mine permit in Alaska's Bristol Bay, Bristol Bay's Tribes and residents have released a call for permanent protections for the region.
On Jan. 8, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced the state's intentions to appeal the decision. The Pebble Partnership followed with a Jan. 21 filing, requesting the Army Corps of Engineers to reverse its denial of the proposed mine's Clean Water Act dredge and fill permit.
January 12, 2021
Pebble petition: Alaska gov appeals on mine's behalf
On Jan. 8, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced the state would take action to appeal the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' decision to deny a permit application for the Pebble Mine.
"Bristol Bay residents and Alaskans have been clear that we will not trade one of the world's last robust salmon fisheries for a gold mine, and the Army Corps decision affirmed that this toxic project is too risky for our home and does not serve the public interest," said United Tribes of Bristol Bay Deputy Director Lindsay Layland, who participated in our Expo Online Pebble Mine panel in November.
December 17, 2020
Shareholders file Pebble Mine class-action suit, parent company plans permit appeal
A group of shareholders filed a class action lawsuit against Northern Dynasty, claiming the company and its directors misled shareholders about the viability of the proposed Pebble Mine and that its stock prices were artificially inflated between Dec. 21, 2017, and Nov. 25, 2020.
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Nov. 25, 2020
Access denied: Pebble Mine permit does not pass go
On Wednesday, Nov. 25, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied the permit application for the proposed Pebble Mine, an open-pit copper, gold and molybdenum extraction project proposed for the headwaters of Bristol Bay, North America's most prolific salmon habitat.
November 18, 2020
Pebble Mine: Live panel update
Join us for a live panel discussion on the prospects for Pebble Mine with panelists Katherine Carscallen, executive director of Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay; Andy Wink, executive director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association; and Lindsay Layland, deputy director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay.
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November 16, 2020
Expo News: On shaky ground
Would the proposed Pebble Mine and its earthen containers of toxic byproduct stand up to Alaska’s seismic activity? This was the question on many minds at the beginning of the year, following a 3.6-magnitude quake in the Bristol Bay region in late January and a documented increase in earthquakes in the state over the last two years.
October 30, 2020
Dig and dash: New Pebble Mine tapes show who pays the bills
Northern Dynasty's Ronald Thiessen says the state of Alaska will pay $1.5 billion for mine infrastructure, plays up prior investor pull-outs as beneficial for funding Pebble's permitting process.
October 29, 2020
Reply All: Bristol Bay associations sign new letter to Dunleavy
Alaska Rep. Bryce Edgmon and Bristol Bay groups press governor on unaddressed accusations from first round of Pebble Tapes.
"Your letter does not address Pebble’s blunt characterization of you and others within your administration as acting behind closed doors on Pebble’s compensatory mitigation plan," Edgmon writes in an Oct. 26 reply to the governor, which started with a September message from Edgmon and Stutes. "Similarly, we note that your letter does not address Tom Collier’s admissions that he interfered in Alaska’s election process. Silence on these points undercuts the integrity of state government in ways that go far beyond Pebble, and we urge you to speak to them."
October 22, 2020
Gross receipts: Fishing takes centerstage in Alaska's Senate race
An Oct. 10 fisheries-focused debate between Alaska's senatorial candidates Al Gross and Dan Sullivan addresses the topic of Pebble Mine and Sullivan's campaign contributions from Pebble and Northern Dynasty executives and lobbyists.
October 6, 2020
Alaska reps call out governor on Pebble; he snaps back
Alaska Reps. Bryce Edgmon (D-Dillingham) and Louise Stutes (R-Kodiak) last week penned a letter to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, asking the state's top executive not to stand with the Pebble Limited Partnership as it seeks to advance its permit with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
September 30, 2020
Pebble probe: Cantwell calls on Justice Department to investigate
Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) called for a federal investigation of the testimony and documents submitted by Pebble Partnership CEO Tom Collier and other executives in support of the proposed Pebble Mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay region.
September 23, 2020
Collier quits: Pebble CEO resigns after being caught on tape
The Pebble Partnership's CEO Tom Collier has resigned in the fallout of secretly recorded videos that were posted online Monday, Sept. 21.
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September 22, 2020
Sticky Tape: Pebble leaders caught on video confirming project rumors
A series of recorded video calls shows Pebble Limited CEO Tom Collier and Northern Dynasty President and CEO Ronald Thiessen detailing their access to Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy's office, the White House chief of staff, the Army Corps of Engineers, as well as a confirmation of the partnership's plan to deceive the public through the permitting process and open a back door to a massive mine in Alaska's Bristol Bay region.
September 8, 2020
'An insult to the process': Alaskans voice opposition to fish board appointments
Hundreds of Alaskans gave legislators an earful at recent hearings on controversial appointees to the Board of Fisheries, which oversees management of the state’s subsistence, commercial, sport and personal-use fisheries.
August 26, 2020
Legal limbo: Alaska fisheries reps set to vote rogue
Two unconfirmed and controversial Alaska Board of Fisheries members — including a Pebble Ltd. employee — will likely be voting on issues in meetings that begin in October and run through mid-March.
August 24, 2020
Pebble postponed: Mine delay marks possible end to Bristol Bay battle
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers submitted a letter to the Pebble Partnership on Monday, Aug. 24, notifying the company that its project is not permissable under section 404 of the Clean Water Act as currently proposed. The partnership has 90 days to submit a mitigation plan.
August 17, 2020
Bristol Bay fishing group calls for state environmental commissioner to step aside
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Jason Brune must recuse himself from reviewing a federal water quality permit for the proposed Pebble mine, given his history as a lobbyist for the project backers and pubic advocacy for the mine, the Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay said in an Aug. 17 letter to Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
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August 11, 2020
Pebble Mine plan continues its tour of D.C. politics
The political football that is Pebble Mine spiraled into the House of Representatives on Monday after presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden declared his support for the fishing and Native communities of Alaska's Bristol Bay over the weekend. Just last week, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted his opposition to the mine.
August 5, 2020
Pebble on blast? Trump Jr. pledges support for Bristol Bay
Following years of the Trump administration's open support for Pebble Mine, a tweet from Donald Trump Jr. has tossed a virtual bone to the thousands of Americans who have been fighting the controversial mine's development and permitting process.
July 24, 2020
Final Pebble EIS hits Federal Register, possible approval 30 days out
As fishermen in Alaska's Bristol Bay region started to file in off the water on Friday, July 24, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Pebble Mine hit the Federal Register with a thud.
July 16, 2020
Getting canned: Bristol Bay 1970 and 2020
Istumbled on a 1970 article reporting a "Bristol Bay bonanza" out of King Salmon, Alaska. The catch of sockeye salmon through July 16 was 19.5 million, with managers projecting a total of 38 million for the season. Fifty years later, Bristol Bay fleets had landed 25 million fish through July 12, 2020. The current 10-year average for the Bristol Bay run is just shy of 45 million.
July 14, 2020
Board of Fish bypass: 'I find it disturbing,' says Alaska Rep. Stutes
Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s selections to the state Board of Fisheries will get a legislative hearing in early fall, and the call is out for public comments.
July 3, 2020
Editor's Log: Very necessary
As we sent this issue off to the printer, the Bristol Bay fleet was descending on Naknek, King Salmon and Dillingham, provisioning boats, preparing crew and tuning up engines. You all are in our thoughts.
June 30, 2020
Alaska salmon: Bristol Bay opens with Pebble Mine decision pending
The biggest red salmon run in the world is building at Bristol Bay. Up to 50 million fish could surge into its eight river systems in coming weeks, on par with past seasons. When it’s all done, the fishery will provide nearly half the global supply of wild sockeye salmon. But this summer is different.
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May 26, 2020
Bait and switch: Pebble Mine plan scales up with no public input
"Have you submitted a document on this much smaller mine, showing it's financially viable to the Corps of Engineers that is a certifiable, real analysis?" Rep. Peter DeFazio asked Pebble Corp CEO Tom Collier at a House subcommittee hearing in October 2019. "No," Collier replied.
April 21, 2020
Corked again: Bristol Bay coalition's Pebble Mine lawsuit dismissed
On Friday, April 17, U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason dismissed a lawsuit seeking to reinstate proposed Clean Water Act protections for Bristol Bay.
April 9, 2020
Hey from the bay: Alaska salmon update, Pebble Mine permit, Board of Fish fast one
I got the word direct from Dillingham today when I caught up with Katherine Carscallen, director of Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay, a third-generation Bristol Bay fisherman and resident of Dillingham, Alaska, in Bristol Bay.
April 3, 2020
We're not going anywhere
As the spread of coronavirus shut down commercial fishing and seafood supply chains and restaurants throughout the country in March, stakeholders on every coast jumped to action to find ways to support local wild fisheries, keep fishermen fishing and put some of the world's finest protein on the tables of sequestered American consumers.
March 31, 2020
Video: Bristol Bay's Andy Wink on 2020 salmon season, covid-19 preparations, Pebble Mine
I sat down for a quick interview with Andy Wink, executive director of the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, on what the association is doing to prepare for the 2020 season.
March 3, 2020
Pebble pulse: Bristol Bay leaders testify in federal court, say EPA went rogue
On Monday, March 2, members of the Bristol Bay Defense Alliance testified in federal district court in support of a lawsuit the group filed against the Environmental Protection Agency in October.
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February 12, 2020
Bristol Bay seal suit: Endangered listing could disrupt Pebble Mine permit
On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reportedly conceded that there may be a new hurdle on the horizon for Pebble Mine permitting.
January 28, 2020
Ring of Fire lights up: Earthquakes take place near proposed Pebble Mine site
An earthquake in the region alerts residents and stakeholders to the inherent risk associated with building a mine and toxic tailings pond in the region.
December 24, 2019
Pebble puppet: Alaska fishing groups respond to investigation
On Friday, Dec. 20, the United Tribes of Bristol Bay and Commercial Fishermen for Bristol Bay released a joint response to a CNN investigative report that accused Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy of collaborating with the Pebble Limited Partnership to lobby on the corporation's behalf.
