President Donald Trump has taken a stand in opposition to the Pebble mine, saying his administration will defend U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and Environmental Protection Agency decisions blocking the mine from moving forward.
The Justice Department confirmed on July 17 that it would defend a 2020 USACE decision rejecting a key permit needed for the mine and the EPA’s subsequent decision to protect the Bristol Bay watershed from future versions of the mine under the Clean Water Act.
Northern Dynasty Minerals, based in Vancouver, Canada, meanwhile, announced on July 17 the filing of a motion in federal district court in Alaska seeking a summary judgment briefing schedule in pending litigation.
“While discussions with the EPA have taken place, we have not reached a settlement,” said Ron Thiessen, president and CEO of Northern Dynasty. “As such, we asked the court to set a briefing schedule for summary judgment motions, as we now believe that will be the quickest, most direct avenue to get the veto removed.”
Thiessen added that the Trump administration has been emphatic about its desire for the U.S. to be self-sufficient in critical metal production, and to be the global AI capital.
“For this to happen the U.S. must develop secure domestic supplies of important metals such as copper,” Thiessen said, adding that “the withdrawal of this egregious and unsubstantiated veto of the largest undeveloped copper project in the world would go a long way towards achieving this goal.”
In November 2020 the Trump administration and USACE first denied the 404 Clean Water Act permit for the proposed mine.
Northern Dynasty sued the USACE in March of 2024 over the 404 permit, after the agency reconsidered and denied that permit. That same month Northern Dynasty also sued the EPA over the 404(c)-permit case. In June 2024 the federal district court for the District of Alaska consolidated these cases.
Opponents of the Pebble mine contend that the mine would threaten fish habitat for the Bristol Bay watershed, which through July 21 had seen a commercial harvest estimated by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game at nearly 40 million sockeye salmon. The fishery is the world’s largest source of wild sockeye salmon and has historically been a food source for the area’s residents and multiple species of wildlife.
“Bristol Bay’s world class salmon runs generate upwards of $2.2 billion in economic activity, are a vital source of clean, nutritious food, and represent one of the great hunting and angling destinations on the planet,” said Tim Bristol, executive director of SalmonState. “Simply put, Bristol Bay is the biggest and the best and it’s clear the president knows this based on his wise decision today.”
Brian Kraft, owner and operator of Alaska Sportsman’s and Bristol Bay lodges, commended the president for his courage, leadership and vision, stating that opponents of the mine are extremely grateful.
In addition, one of the president’s sons, Donald Trump Jr., is known to have fished for salmon in Bristol Bay and for voicing publicly his opposition to the mine, due to concerns about its potential negative impact on the salmon fishery.
A July 2024 article in the Alaska Sporting Journal written by outdoor writer Scott Haugen describes the president’s son as “one of the most well-rounded outdoorsmen I’ve been with, period.”
Haugen has accompanied Trump Jr. and two of his sons on fishing trips in Bristol Bay, where the Trumps are featured in photos of successful salmon fishermen and ptarmigan hunters at Becharof Lodge.
