VANCOUVER, Feb. 5, 2018 /CNW/ - Northern Dynasty
Minerals Ltd. (TSX: NDM; NYSE MKT: NAK) ("Northern Dynasty" or the
"Company") announces that the US Army Corps of Engineers ("the
Corps") has selected the third-party contractor that will support
them in completing an Environmental Impact Statement ("EIS") for
the Pebble Project, signaling the next milestone in the advancement
of a National Environmental Policy Act ("NEPA") review of the
proposed open pit copper-gold-molybdenum mine in southwest
Alaska.
The Corps advised Northern Dynasty's wholly-owned US-based
subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership (the "Pebble Partnership") on
Friday, February 2 that AECOM has
been selected from a short-list of qualified firms to complete the
Pebble EIS. AECOM is a global, integrated engineering,
environmental, construction and infrastructure development firm
with a long history of providing NEPA compliance and other
regulatory support services associated with development of large
mineral and oil and gas resource projects in Alaska and the
United States.
"We're pleased to see the NEPA permitting process for Pebble
continues to advance in an efficient and predictable way, and look
forward to the completion of an Environmental Impact Statement that
defines the true impacts, mitigation measures and benefits of our
proposed development," said Northern Dynasty President & CEO
Ron Thiessen. "We have every
confidence that the 3rd party contractor the Corps has
selected will help facilitate an objective, credible and
science-based review that supports informed and balanced
decision-making about the Pebble Project."
The Pebble Partnership confirmed that AECOM is now under
contract, and the Corps is expected to move forward to initiate the
scoping process for the Pebble EIS in the months ahead. Scoping is
a public process that precedes the development of a draft
Environmental Impact Statement, whereby residents of the Bristol
Bay region, Alaskans and all project stakeholders will be able to
provide input on the broad range of issues and concerns they'd like
to see addressed over the course of permitting for the Pebble
Project.
Public scoping meetings will be hosted by the Corps this spring,
in addition to other public participation opportunities. A formal
consultation and public comment process will also be facilitated by
the Corps following publication of the Pebble Draft EIS – expected
sometime in 2019.
"With AECOM, the US Army Corps of Engineers has selected a firm
with extensive global experience in mineral development and mining,
in engineering and environmental science, as well as in working
with regulators to develop objective, science-based Environmental
Impact Statements for complex, multi-faceted projects like Pebble"
said Pebble Partnership CEO Tom
Collier. "They also have a strong presence and deep
experience in Alaska – strengths
that we believe will ensure the efficient advancement of a
comprehensive and credible EIS for Pebble over the next several
years."
Collier noted that AECOM 's recent experience with NEPA EIS
permitting reviews include Alaska's Donlin
Gold and Chuitna Coal projects, the Midas Gold Stibnite
project in Idaho, and Lone Star Mine in Arizona. The consulting firm also has recent
and relevant engineering and environmental services experience at
operating mines throughout the United
States, including Red Dog and Green's Creek in Alaska, Kennecott in Utah, and Morenci in Arizona.
About Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd.
Northern Dynasty is a mineral exploration and development
company based in Vancouver,
Canada. Northern Dynasty's principal asset, owned through
its wholly-owned Alaska-based US
subsidiary Pebble Limited Partnership and other wholly-owned
subsidiaries, is a 100% interest in a contiguous block of 2,402
mineral claims in southwest Alaska, including the Pebble deposit. The
Pebble Partnership is the proponent of the Pebble Project, an
initiative to develop one of the world's most important mineral
resources.
For further details on Northern Dynasty and the Pebble Project,
please visit the Company's website at
www.northerndynastyminerals.com or contact Investor services at
(604) 684-6365 or within North
America at 1-800-667-2114. Review Canadian public filings at
www.sedar.com and US public filings at www.sec.gov.
Ronald W. Thiessen
President & CEO
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 a partnering transaction is subject
to risks related to the satisfactory completion of due diligence
and negotiations, including finalization of definitive agreements
and fulfilment of conditions precedent therein, including receipt
of all necessary approvals. Such process may not be
successfully completed or completed on terms satisfactory to the
Company. The likelihood of future mining at the Pebble Project 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 is subject to a large number of risks, including
government actions 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.