April 27, 2023 — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will review its denial of a key federal permit for the proposed large Pebble mine project in southwest Alaska, the agency announced April 25. Brig. Gen. Kirk Gibbs, Division Engineer at the corps’ Pacific Ocean Division, said he found certain parts of an appeal to the denial by Pebble Partnership Ltd., the developer, to have merit.
Gibbs’ decision sends the matter back to the corp’s Alaska District for reconsideration. The Alaska District had denied a U.S. Clean Water Act Section 404 dredge and fill permit for Pebble Partnership Ltd., which hopes to develop a large copper, gold and molybdenum deposit near Iliamna, southwest of Anchorage.
It its appeal, Pebble Partnership said the corps’ evaluation was flawed and showed factual inconsistencies with data compiled in a Final Environmental Impact Statement done by the agency for the Pebble project.
“My decision to remand permit application back to the Alaska District is not a permit authorization,” Gibbs said in a statement. “The (Alaska) District has been asked to re-evaluate specific issues with the administrative record to ensure the decision is well-supported.”