On the rocks? Anglo American pulls out of Pebble project, but remaining partner perseveres.

• Author: Loy, Wesley
• Position: SPECIAL SECTION: Mining

For a number of years now, the proposed Pebble project in Southwest Alaska has utterly dominated the state's mining scene.

That's likely to continue, despite the bombshell announcement in September that a major partner in the project, global mining titan Anglo American, was bailing out.

The news cheered Pebble's energetic opponents and stunned Alaska's economic development community.

The decision was expected to force layoffs at the Anchorage-based Pebble Limited Partnership, which is spearheading work toward development of the rich copper, gold, and molybdenum deposit.

Anglo America's withdrawal left Northern Dynasty Minerals, a Canadian mining company, with sole ownership of Pebble.

Ron Thiessen, chief executive of Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty, maintains an upbeat tone on Pebble's prospects going forward.

"Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Partnership have both the expertise and resources necessary to advance the Pebble project," he says.

Mixed Reactions

Anglo American's departure seemed to come out of the blue, catching Pebble observers by surprise.

"Anglo American's choice to withdraw from development of the Pebble mine was a private business decision driven by a variety of economic factors. The company has stated its reasons and I have no reason to question the decision," US Senator Lisa Murkowski said in a written statement.

Noting she remained neutral on the project, Murkowski in July had challenged the Pebble partners to release a project description and firm timeline for seeking permits for the mine. She said years of waiting had created anxiety for Alaskans.

As of Anglo American's departure, however, project specifics remained unclear.

The mine site is located on remote state land north of Bristol Bay, about two hundred miles southwest of Anchorage and seventeen miles northwest of the village of Iliamna.

Many commercial fishermen have come out against the Pebble mine as a potential pollution danger to the Bristol Bay watershed and salmon habitat. The Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association, which represents commercial gillnetters, hailed the Anglo American withdrawal.

The mining giant arrived at a business decision that "accurately reflects both scientific findings and common sense," said Bob Waldrop, the association's executive director. "Large-scale mining in the Bristol Bay watershed would threaten the world's greatest salmon run and thousands of small businesses."

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