Tuesday, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued a land use permit to Pebble Limited Partnership (Pebble) that was conditioned on an unprecedented $2 million bond.

Pebble sought a two-year permit term, but was only granted a one-year term so that DNR could re-evaluate at the end of the year. This decision comes after months of reviewing the permit application and over 1,000 public comments. The majority of Alaskans who submitted input oppose the Pebble Mine.

Kimberly Williams, executive director of Nunamta Aulukestai said of the DNR decision:

“We are grateful that DNR reviewed more than a thousand public comments about the Pebble Mine project, and recognized what’s at stake. Projects like Pebble need to be held accountable for how exploratory drilling impacts the areas they use. They should be expected to take care of these areas rather than paying millions to lawyers and consultants in Washington DC to avoid their responsibilities.”

Michelle Sinnott, attorney for Trustees for Alaska, had this to say: 

“We applaud the State for taking the first steps in demonstrating to the Bristol Bay region, and all of Alaska, that the administration is serious about protecting Bristol Bay. Public participation made this decision possible. When asked for comment, people responded in force, and the administration listened.”[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

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