Developer of Alaska's Pebble mine, ex-CEO served subpoenas (updated)

Northern Dynasty Minerals

05/02/2021 23:56

(Adds background)
    Feb 5 (Reuters) - Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd  NDM.TO 
said on Friday that its wholly-owned Pebble Limited Partnership
and the unit's former chief executive officer had been served
with subpoenas.
    The subpoenas to produce documents is related to a grand
jury investigation apparently involving recordings of private
conversations regarding the Pebble mine project. 
    Tom Collier, CEO of Pebble Limited Partnership, the company
trying to develop Alaska's Pebble Mine project, had resigned in
September after his comments on elected and regulatory officials
in the U.S. state were covertly videotaped and released by an
environmental activist group.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL3N2GK3ZJ
    The comments by Tom Collier had embellished both his and the
company's relationships with elected officials and federal
representatives in Alaska, including Governor Michael Dunleavy,
Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and senior
representatives of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).
    The mine, one of the world's largest copper and gold
deposits, has been through a roller coaster of regulation over
the past 13 years. Many opponents say the mine would permanently
damage Alaska's Bristol Bay watershed, an ecosystem that
supports the world's largest salmon runs.
    The USACE in November issued its final decision denying a
key water permit for the contentious Pebble Mine in Alaska,
putting the project's future in doubt.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2IB25U
    Pebble Limited filed an appeal with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers (USACE) over the decision, Northern Dynasty said in
January.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2JX025 

 (Reporting by Arathy S Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil
D'Silva and Aurora Ellis)
 ((arathys.nair@thomsonreuters.com; +1 646 223 8780 (Extn 2726);
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ArathySom;))