VANCOUVER, Oct. 6, 2015 /CNW/ - Northern Dynasty Minerals
Ltd. (TSX: NDM; NYSE MKT: NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the
"Company") announces that former US Senator and Secretary of
Defense William S. Cohen today
released the report of his investigation into the US Environmental
Protection Agency's ("EPA") actions with respect to Alaska's Pebble Project, and the agency's
efforts to issue the first-ever 'pre-emptive' veto in the 43-year
history of the Clean Water Act.
Entitled, 'Report of an Independent Review of the United
States Environmental Protection Agency's Actions in Connection With
Its Evaluation of Potential Mining In Alaska's Bristol Bay
Watershed,' the report was commissioned by the Pebble Limited
Partnership ("Pebble Partnership" or "PLP") and prepared by a team
of independent investigators employed by The Cohen Group and law
firm DLA Piper over a period of approximately one year. The Cohen
investigation team reviewed thousands of EPA documents secured
through Freedom of Information Act ("FOIA") requests, and
interviewed some 60 individuals involved with the EPA or its
controversial review of the Pebble Project.
Cohen states: "The decision about whether to build a mine in
this area, as well as the process used to make such a decision, is
very important to Alaska's
environment, economy, people, fish and wildlife. It requires
regulatory authority to be exercised in the fairest way possible.
After a very thorough review, I do not believe EPA used the fairest
and most appropriate process."
The Cohen report raises a series of concerns about potential EPA
misconduct, including: that EPA may have pre-determined the outcome
of its review before conducting the Bristol Bay Watershed
Assessment; and, that EPA officials may have had
inappropriately close relationships with environmental activists.
Cohen urges US Congress and the independent Office of the EPA
Inspector General to use their respective subpoena powers to look
further into the myriad issues of EPA misconduct catalogued in his
report.
Cohen concludes by encouraging US lawmakers to consider taking
action to ensure that all major development projects in the US,
including Pebble, are evaluated through the National Environmental
Policy Act ("NEPA") permitting process. "As we look to the future,
I urge policymakers to consider requiring the use of the
Permit/NEPA Process. This process, which entails compliance with
NEPA and other regulatory requirements, an environmental impact
statement ("EIS"), and input from the EPA, other relevant agencies,
and the State of Alaska, will
supply the gaps in information which the BBWA left outstanding.
This decision is too important to be made with anything less than
the best and most comprehensive information available."
An Executive Summary of the 346-page Cohen report (with
attachments) can be viewed at
http://files.cohengroup.net/Final/Final-Executive-Summary.pdf . To
access the complete report, visit
http://files.cohengroup.net/Final/Final-Report-with-Appendices-compressed.pdf
.
In addition to the Cohen investigation, EPA actions at Pebble
are being scrutinized by the EPA Inspector General and several
Congressional committees. Last fall, a federal court judge in
Alaska approved the Pebble
Partnership's motion for a Preliminary Injunction that forbids EPA
from taking any further steps to advance its proposed veto pending
the outcome of litigation alleging that the federal agency violated
the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.
Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development
company based in Vancouver,
Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset is the Pebble
Project in southwest Alaska, USA,
an initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral
resources.
Marchand Snyman
Chief Financial Officer
Forward Looking Information and other
Cautionary Factors
This release includes certain statements that may be deemed
"forward-looking statements". All statements in this release, other
than statements of historical facts, that address exploration
drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that
the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the
Company believes the expectations expressed in its forward-looking
statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements
should not be in any way construed as guarantees of the ultimate
size, quality or commercial feasibility of the Pebble Project or of
the Company's future performance or the outcome of litigation.
Assumptions used by the Company to develop forward-looking
statements include the following: the Pebble Project will obtain
all required environmental and other permits and all land use and
other licenses, studies and development of the Pebble Project will
continue to be positive, and no geological or technical problems
will occur. The likelihood of future mining at the Pebble
Project is subject to a large number of risks and will require
achievement of a number of technical, economic and legal
objectives, including obtaining necessary mining and construction
permits, approvals, licenses and title on a timely basis and delays
due to third party opposition, changes in government policies
regarding mining and natural resource exploration and exploitation,
the final outcome of any litigation, completion of pre-feasibility
and final feasibility studies, preparation of all necessary
engineering for surface or underground mining and processing
facilities as well as receipt of significant additional financing
to fund these objectives as well as funding mine construction. Such
funding may not be available to the Company on acceptable terms or
on any terms at all. There is no known ore at the Pebble Project
and there is no assurance that the mineralization at the Pebble
Project will ever be classified as ore. The need for compliance
with extensive environmental and socio-economic rules and practices
and the requirement for the Company to obtain government permitting
can cause a delay or even abandonment of a mineral project. The
Company is also subject to the specific risks inherent in the
mining business as well as general economic and business
conditions. For more information on the Company, Investors should
review the Company's filings with the United States Securities and
Exchange Commission and its home jurisdiction filings that are
available at www.sedar.com.
SOURCE Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.