USACE Releases Draft EIS for Pebble Project

ANCHORAGE—The Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Pebble Project has been released by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). Upon initial review, the Pebble Partnership (PLP) strongly believes it demonstrates that the proposed 20-year mine development plan for the Pebble deposit can be done in an environmentally responsible manner and that it points to a clear path forward for success in permitting the project.

A project overview, executive summary, and the entire DEIS itself can be found here:
https://pebbleprojecteis.com/

“Our preliminary review of the DEIS shows no major data gaps or substantive impacts that cannot be appropriately mitigated. We see no significant environmental challenges that would preclude the project from getting a permit and this shows Alaska stakeholders that there is a clear path forward for this project that could potentially generate significant economic activity, tax revenue and thousands of jobs,” said PLP CEO Tom Collier. “I also commend the Corps for their comprehensive, efficient and transparent management of the process thus far.”

Collier stressed that the DEIS is a draft look at the Pebble project and that the next phase is for extensive public review and comment to inform and guide the development of the final EIS and record of decision for the project. The PLP team will undertake an extensive technical review of the DEIS over the next several days to develop the company’s formal comments, expected to be submitted near the end of the public comment window. Collier added that since the document is a draft he fully expects substantive comments from a range of project stakeholders while emphasizing that there do not appear to be any major hurdles.