Recently, the Mining.com website reported that the development of two major copper mines in the United States has been blocked, reflecting the environmental challenges faced by the development of mineral resources in the United States. If the two copper mines cannot be developed, the supply of copper in the United States will still be heavily dependent on imports.
Peibo (Pebble) giant porphyry copper-molybdenum-gold-silver deposit
The Biden administration has announced that it will restart the process to block the development of the Pepper copper, gold, silver and molybdenum mine in Alaska to protect Bristol Bay (Bristol Bay), a water system vital to the state.
The Justice Department asked the court to reverse the EPA's (EPA) decision during the Trump administration to cancel the protection of the Bristol Bay Basin, one of the largest red salmon habitats in North America, according to a document from the Federal District Court of Alaska on Thursday.
The Pepper project has been under development for more than a decade, but it has faced environmental opposition from the beginning, and its development has been accompanied by disputes and delays, including the 2014 EPA decision to ban the discharge of mining waste and other substances in the area.
But in 2017, the project's developer, Northern Dynasty Minerals of Canada, (Northern Dynasty Minerals), ended a long-running dispute with EPA over the latter's decision. This paves the way for a federal licensing decision to allow Pepper Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Northern Imperial Co., to move forward with the project.
The project was hit again in November 2020. At the time, Northern Imperial announced that PLP had received notification from the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE,US Army Corps of Engineers)) that its application for permission had been denied under the Clean Water Act and other federal regulations.
The federal regulator found that Mr Pepper's "compensation relief" (Compensatory Mitigation Plan) was "non-compliant" and that the project was "not in the public interest".
The company said it would appeal. Separately, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy (Mike Dunleavy) announced in January that the state would appeal against USACE's refusal to grant the crucial federal license.
"the unilateral decision of the Alaska District Court has set a dangerous precedent that will undoubtedly damage our future, and any potential project could be the victim of this questionable standard," Governor Dunleavy said in January. We want to stop federal agencies, the Alaska branch of the Army Corps of Engineers, from using regulatory procedures to interfere with our state's constitutional duty to develop natural resources.
Last Thursday, Northern Imperial Dynasty announced the (PEA) results of the preliminary economic evaluation of the Pepper project in 2021, including investment costs, financing and production capacity.
The 2021 PEA sets out three possible mine construction scenarios, as well as an alternative gold recovery strategy for future permits and assessments, the Northern Imperial Company said.
If the court approves the request of the Ministry of Justice, it will automatically authorize EPA to initiate the review process under section 404 of the Clean Water Act to continue to provide protection for certain parts of the Bristol Bay basin.
"Bristol Bay is a valuable asset of Alaska and reflects the important value of clean water in the United States," said Michael Reagan (Michael Regan), director of EPA. The key is to prevent pollution from having a heavy impact on Alaskan aborigines and to ensure the future sustainable development of the most important salmon fisheries in North America.
The proven and presumed I of the Pepper Project has 6.5 billion tons of ore resources, 57 billion pounds of copper, 71 million ounces of gold, 3.4 billion pounds of molybdenum and 345 million ounces of silver. If licensed, Pepper will become the largest mine in North America.
Resolushen (Resolution) copper deposit
A House of Representatives committee has added a description to the budget settlement process that will prevent Rio Tinto from building its Resolushin copper mine in Arizona.
The San Carlos Apache (San Carlos Apache) tribe and other Native Americans say the mine will destroy their shrine for religious rituals. Elected officials in nearby Superior, Arizona, say the mine is important to the region's economy.
The Congressional Resources Committee will rescue the Oak Ping Act (Save Oak Flat Act) as a $3.5 trillion settlement spending measure late Thursday. All members of the House of Representatives are likely to overturn the measure, and the fate of the bill in the U.S. Senate is uncertain.
If approved, the bill would overturn a somewhat complicated decision made by former President Barack Obama and Congress in 2014 to replace federal land in Arizona, where 40 billion pounds of copper is located, with land owned by Rio Tinto.
Former President Donald Trump approved the land swap before leaving office in January, but his successor, Joe Biden, overturned the decision, putting the project in trouble.
The final settlement budget will include funding for copper-intensive solar, wind and other renewable energy projects. Electric cars demand more than twice as much copper as cars with internal combustion engines. The Resolushen copper mine can meet 25% of the copper demand in the United States.
Mina Besic (Mila Besich), a Democrat and mayor of Superior, said the project faced more and more "bureaucratic hurdles".
"this situation seems to run counter to the Biden administration's efforts to address climate change," Besic said. I hope the Senate will not put these words in the final bill.
Rio Tinto said it would continue to consult with local communities and tribes. CEO Jacob Stosholm (Jakob Stausholm) plans to visit Arizona later this year.
Representatives of San Carlo Apache and BHP Billiton, the project's minority shareholder, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
