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Northern Dynasty Minerals: US Army Corps of Engineers’ Claim That Economic Costs of Pebble Project Outweigh Project Benefits Contradicts the Administrative Record
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 15, 2021 / Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:NDM) (NYSE American:NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the "Company") reports that it
About this update from Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.
[{"type":"text","content":" VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 15, 2021 / Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. (TSX:NDM) (NYSE American:NAK) (\"Northern Dynasty\" or the \"Company\") reports that its Request for Appeal (\"RFA\") of a federal permitting decision concerning Alaska's Pebble Project challenges key conclusions reached by the US Army Corps of Engineers (\"USACE\") with respect to the project's economic benefits and costs. Prepared and submitted by the Company's 100%-owned US-based subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership (the \"Pebble Partnership\"), the RFA asserts that the USACE's Public Interest Review (\"PIR\") for the Pebble Project, published coincident with its Record of Decision (\"ROD\") in November 2020, is contrary to the law and inconsistent with the record - including the Final Environmental Impact Statement (\"EIS\" or \"FEIS\"). The Pebble Partnership believes the social and economic impact conclusions drawn by the USACE in the PIR give \"undue weight to speculative harms not supported by the record while giving little weight to the Project's undisputed benefits to local communities, the region, and the State.\" (RFA p. 3) A complete version of the RFA document can be viewed at: https://www.northerndynastyminerals.com/investors/rfa/ The USACE accepted the Pebble Partnership's RFA last month, and has appointed a Review Officer to oversee the administrative appeal process. While federal guidelines suggest the appeal should conclude within 90 days, the USACE has indicated the complexity of issues and volume of materials associated with Pebble's case means the review will likely take additional time. Pebble asserts USACE findings are unsubstantiated The Pebble Partnership's RFA asserts that ‘economic detriments' associated with Pebble as cited by the USACE are vague and speculative, whereas the significant, long-term socioeconomic benefits of the project for local communities, the region, the state and the nation are well documented in the FEIS. The FEIS documents a broad range of regional and statewide benefits associated with Pebble, including: direct and indirect employment in local communities, which currently face a dearth of full-time, year-round, well-paid jobs; reduced transportation and energy costs in a region that currently faces one of the highest costs of living in the nation; beneficial economic effects on minority and low-incom...