The Pebble Partnership _ a group formed last summer to increase support for development of the Pebble Mine in southwest Alaska _ has selected John Shively as its chief executive officer.
Shively is a former commissioner of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources. He also was former Gov. Bill Sheffield's chief of staff. He most recently was vice president of government and community relations for Holland America Line.
Shively also served 17 years with NANA Regional Corp. He and other NANA leaders negotiated development of the Red Dog mine in partnership with Teck Cominco.
The Pebble Mine about 200 miles southwest of Anchorage is one of the largest copper and gold deposits in the world. It is situated near Bristol Bay, an area that also has some of the most productive wild salmon rivers in the world.
"In my view, the Pebble Project presents a tremendous opportunity for the people of Bristol Bay and all Alaska," Shively said in a statement. "The global significance of the mineral deposit at Pebble is without question. Our challenge now is to see if we can find a way to work together to develop the resource that is consistent with the values and priorities of local communities, of Alaska Natives and the citizens of the state."
Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American PLC, which along with Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. is partnering to develop the mine, said having Shively as CEO should reassure people concerned that developing the mine could hurt Bristol Bay fisheries.
"John shares our view that Pebble must go beyond compliance to ensure that the project can coexist with clean water and healthy fisheries," she said.
Recent estimates of copper and gold reserves at Pebble put the value of the minerals at between $345 billion and $500 billion.
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