Bristol Bay Native Corp.'s recent move on Pebble

Posted by Elizabeth Bluemink

Posted: June 6, 2009 - 6:29 pm

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Bristol Bay Native Corp., owned by Alaska Natives who live in or have roots in the Bristol Bay region, recently passed a resolution related to its future decision-making on an industrial access road for the Pebble mine. The company says it will not enter any agreements involving a road until it has a chance to review final development plans from the mining companies.

As you will see below, the proposed 86-mile road is a big bargaining chip for Native corporations in the overall Pebble debate. It crosses their land: their permission is needed.

I don't have an official copy of the BBNC resolution but I have seen a document that includes the alleged wording of the resolution. As yet, no one from BBNC will discuss the resolution with me or validate the document I obtained. The reason they won't talk to me? The corporation must first review the resolution with Bristol Bay villages and "other potentially affected parties," the company's chief executive, Jason Metrokin, told me in an e-mail on Wednesday.

Metrokin stressed that BBNC's stance on Pebble remains neutral.

So for now, all I know about the details and greater purpose of the resolution is from Dillingham's KDLG radio station, where an intrepid radio reporter snagged an interview with Metrokin before BBNC put the kibosh on interviews.

In an recorded interview on Tuesday (it aired Wednesday), Metrokin told the KDLG reporter that the resolution simply reads that BBNC will not take any action related to Pebble until it gets more information on the project.

Metrokin said in the recording, "We realized that one of the major components of this project that we actually have control over is the subsurface acreage to the potential road corridor between the mine site and the port site. A large portion of that road actually covers Native corporation grounds."

He also said, "We have the ability to say we will not allow this project to go forward from a road perspective."

To listen to the full KDLG story, which includes reaction from John Shively of the Pebble Partnership, click here.

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