“Their argument stresses that the veto’s “aggressive and unprecedented” use injects new uncertainty into permitting, casting “a cloud over mining projects in Alaska and beyond” at a moment when the U.S. is seeking to strengthen security of supply for critical minerals.”
Trade groups back Pebble mine court fight
A.J. Roan, North of 60 Mining News, December 5, 2025
Four national organizations file briefs opposing EPA’s 2023 veto.
Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. Dec. 1 announced that four national mining and business organizations have filed amicus briefs in Alaska Federal Court supporting its challenge to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Section 404(c) veto of the Pebble copper project, arguing that the agency overstepped its authority and failed to weigh the economic consequences of blocking one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits.
Arriving as the court continues to work through the latest phase of litigation over EPA’s “Final Determination,” the newest filings address a decision that bars the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) from issuing the federal wetlands permit required to advance Pebble’s development plan.
Maintaining that the veto was the product of a process that strayed beyond the bounds Congress intended for EPA’s Section 404(c) authority, Northern Dynasty points to the sequence of actions that began under the Obama administration and were finalized under the Biden administration.
In its view, the agency relied on a novel reading of its mandate and overlooked the economic consequences of blocking a major domestic copper source
In their brief, the National Mining Association (NMA), American Exploration & Mining Association (AEMA), and Alaska Mining Association (AMA) frame the case as one with broad consequences for U.S. mineral policy and future investment in domestic exploration and development.
They point to the scale of the deposit and the expected demand growth across construction, transportation, electronics, industrial equipment, and national defense, noting that copper is foundational to nearly every pathway toward large-scale electrification.
Glenfarne and POSCO have finalized a strategic partnership for the Alaska LNG project, including a 20-year offtake deal, steel supply for the 807-mile pipeline, and a pre-FID investment to advance the only federally authorized LNG export terminal on the U.S. Pacific Coast.
POSCO to Supply Steel, Buy LNG Under Glenfarne’s Alaska LNG Agreement
Pipeline and Gas Journal, December 5, 2025
Glenfarne Alaska LNG, LLC and South Korea’s POSCO International Corporation have finalized a strategic partnership for the development of the Alaska LNG Project—the only federally authorized LNG export project on the U.S. Pacific Coast.
The agreement includes a 20-year Heads of Agreement (HOA) for 1 million tonnes per annum (MMtpy) of LNG offtake on a Free-on-Board basis, marking the project’s first long-term LNG sales commitment. POSCO will also supply a significant portion of the steel required for the project’s 807-mile, 42-inch natural gas pipeline and make a pre-FID capital investment in the venture.
The signing was commemorated at the U.S. Department of Energy in Washington, D.C., with Glenfarne CEO and Founder Brendan Duval and POSCO International CEO KyeIn Lee, joined by Secretary of the Interior and National Energy Dominance Council Chairman Doug Burgum and Secretary of Energy and Vice Chairman Chris Wright.
“POSCO Group is one of the world’s leading steel and energy companies, and their commitment to Alaska LNG reflects the high degree of support in Asia and across the Pacific for unlocking this valuable source of abundant, competitive LNG,” Duval said.
POSCO International, a major Korean LNG importer and part of Korea’s largest steel group, will play a key role in advancing the project alongside Alaska Gasline Development Corp., the state-owned co-developer.
Glenfarne recently announced a separate partnership with Baker Hughes, which will invest in Alaska LNG and provide LNG compression and power-generation technology.
Since becoming majority owner in March, Glenfarne has secured preliminary commercial commitments totaling 11 MMtpy from buyers in Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand—including Tokyo Gas, JERA, CPC, PTT, and POSCO.
The Alaska LNG project will be developed in two phases: an in-state pipeline to deliver North Slope gas for local demand, followed by construction of an export terminal designed to ship up to 20 MMtpy of LNG.
Making Cars More Affordable Again – Very good editorial from the editorial board at the Wall Street Journal on President Trump’s move to repeal Biden’s insane auto mileage and emissions standards.
Key Excerpt: President Trump on Wednesday fulfilled his campaign pledge to end the Biden electric-vehicle mandate. Headlines claim this is “rolling back” fuel-economy standards. No, it’s eliminating gratuitous mandates that raise car prices and create market distortions.
Corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards are a regrettable relic of the 1970s Arab oil embargo and gasoline shortages. Manufacturers’ fleets each year are required to average a certain number of miles per gallon with discrete benchmarks for passenger cars and pickup trucks. The Obama and Biden teams used the rules to mandate EVs by the back door.
They did this by establishing unrealistic standards that car makers could only achieve by making more EVs that generated compliance credits. By ramping up EV production, auto makers could continue selling highly profitable gas SUVs and pickups that don’t meet fuel-economy requirements. It’s a regulatory sham.
Messrs. Biden and Obama also gave auto makers bonus compliance credits for design features such as an engine that shuts off when a car has stopped. Auto makers were allowed to buy credits from other firms that had a surplus, namely EV makers like Tesla. Buying credits could be less expensive than fines for noncompliance.
Enter the Trump Transportation Department, which is proposing to “reset” the standards by eliminating credit loopholes for compliance while also lowering future mandates. Under its proposal, car makers would still have to average 34.5 miles a gallon across their fleets by 2031, up from 30.4 this year.
From David Blackmon’s December 5, 2025, Energy Additions