Senator Dan Sullivan doubled-down on his criticism of the Pebble Mine in a statement released on Twitter, following leaked videos from heads of the Pebble Project who characterized Sullivan as someone who was a puppet for the Pebble bosses.
On Tuesday, recordings were released by the Environmental Investigation Agency where people hired to pose as potential investors in the Pebble Project recorded calls with Pebble officials in August and September of this year. They characterized Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan being harmless in posing a risk to the project, as they were said to only voice opposition when the sentiment does not mean much of consequence.
Ronald Thiessen, CEO of Northern Dynasty Minerals, the parent company of the Pebble Project, discussed Sullivan’s battle for re-election this year: “He’s got a battle on his hands, and we’re trying to work with him to make sure he doesn’t go and say something negative, like, and he won’t say ‘Don’t build the mine,’ but he might say, ‘Don’t issue the ROD until after the election.’ He could say that, but would it have any impact? It depends on whether [President Donald] Trump feels he’s going to lose. Sullivan is a Republican senator. It is important that he gets elected. If he says ‘Delay the ROD,’ will that help him get elected?”
Senator Sullivan took issue with that statement, saying: “In my Aug. 24 statement, which I unequivocally stand by, I announced my opposition to Pebble Mine & said it should not be permitted b/c it does not meet the high standards we demand for all resource projects in AK. Any suggestion otherwise is a blatant mischaracterization.”
Sullivan is running for reelection and will face Independent candidate Dr. Al Gross. Following the release of the tapes, Gross utilized former Pebble CEO Tom Collier’s message to challenge the legitimacy of Sullivan’s authority, as well as his financial ties to Pebble: “That’s who Dan Sullivan is. He hides in the corner to avoid showing people what he really stands for. Well, this election, he won’t be able to do that any longer. Dan Sullivan, return the many thousands of dollars you’ve received from the Pebble Mine executives as campaign contributions on-behalf of all Alaskans.”
Sullivan finished his Thursday Tweets with a quick summary of where he stands: “Let me be even more clear: I oppose Pebble Mine. No Pebble Mine.”