resigned following the revelations on the tapes. This was another step in righting the wrong we saw on the tapes. Questions about how long mining will take place at Pebble have arisen. To begin, Pebble is one of the most significant mineral discoveries in the world. Based upon what is under the ground at Pebble, the Deposit could support many decades of mining. However, this is not what we took into permitting. We took a twenty-year plan into permitting that had to stand on its own. We have been clear from the outset that future opportunities would still exist at Pebble and one scenario for such future develop- ment was evaluated as reasonably foreseeable future action in the Environmental Impact Statement recently completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). We have been equally clear that any future development at Pebble would have to go through its own full and robust permitting pro- cess. There are no specific future plans for mining at Pebble beyond the twenty-year plan currently in front of regulators. My other core objective is to ensure the USACE has the infor- mation required to finalize the ROD for the Project. One of the key elements necessary for the USACE to accomplish this is the compensatory mitigation plan. We are on track to deliver a plan that meets the USACE’s requirements, and when it is deemed complete, it will be published on the Project website. The Project — a responsible plan to mine the Pebble Depos- it for twenty years — remains a very good project. It will employ thousands of Alaskans both from the local communities to other corners of our state with well- paid, family wage jobs. It will be an economic engine for Southwest and Southcentral Alaska with the potential of putting hundreds of millions of dollars into the econ- omy every year. It will make a major contribution to the state’s budget — not nearly what our colleagues in the oil and gas in- dustry contribute, but it will show
what expanding Alaska’s mineral sector can do for state coffers. And, most importantly, mining can be done at Pebble without harm to the Bristol Bay fishery. The final Environ - mental Impact Statement reinforces this point. My fundamental princi- ple when I started as CEO for Pebble in 2008 was that the project had to operate without harming the fishery or water resources of the region. I have sat through hundreds of hours of discussion and presentations that gave me the confidence the project can meet that goal. Now, we have a federal environmental review that
reached the same conclusion. My long history in Alaska has often focused on finding employment op - portunities for our rural communities. I have seen time and again what a job means for someone living in rural Alaska. It is one of the most posi- tive, transformative ways to improve someone’s quality of life. I told my staff my door is always open, and that no one should hesitate to let me know what is on their minds. The same holds true for all Alaskans.
John Shively is Pebble Partnership CEO and Board Chair
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Changing the way business is done in Alaska
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October 2020
The Alaska Miner
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