EPA’s 2nd draft due in spring, PLP report ‘getting close’

In an Alaska Public Radio Network story, Pebble Limited Partnership (PLP) CEO John Shively is quoted regarding progress on the company’s long-anticipated Pebble mine plan. “We’re a good ways. It’s possible we have a project description out this year. I’ve said that every year I’ve been CEO, and that’s been five years. But I think we’re getting close.”

Because there is no official mine plan, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) used a “hypothetical mine scenario” for the first draft of its May 2012 Bristol Bay watershed assessment. Though criticized for using a hypothetical scenario, the EPA stated that it based the scenario partly on a detailed report to investors that Northern Dynasty Minerals (NDM) released in February 2011. NDM owns a 50 percent interest in the proposed Pebble mine. That document, also known as the “Wardrop Report,” has been the center of some controversy recently, as U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., has asked the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to investigate NDM for what Cantwell says are “conflicting statements” it has made about the report.

The EPA has stated that it will release the second draft of its watershed assessment this spring to be reviewed again by a peer review team. It will be available for public review and comment as well.

Read more from Alaska Public Radio Network.