Sept. 11, 2020, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement of attempts by a Chinese company, J Capital Research to short the Northern Dynasty Minerals stock which owns Pebble Mine:
“A Chinese company that has placed a stock market bet against the development of the Pebble Mine has not surprisingly put out a report attacking the viability of the mining plan. The battle over the development of the Alaska mine has been at the center of a high profile environmentalist opposition campaign funded by people determined to end the US mineral extraction industry altogether.
“I have been to where Pebble Mine will be, and let me make this clear, if you cannot develop a mind in this desolate location, you will never develop another mine in America.
“There is no surprise that a Chinese firm would be trying to submarine the mine’s future. China has long sought to dominate ownership of rare earth minerals and recently it has been discovered that Pebble Mine would produce a large quantity of a rare earth metal, rhenium, which is instrumental in building aircraft engines. Rare earths are essential for the production of many military and high tech items, and attempts by a Chinese short seller to undermine Pebble Mine should be rejected out of hand.
“Of course, the ultimate irony is the joining of environmentalists and China in opposing a U.S. mine. Once again we find that many in the environmental establishment are willing to turn a blind eye toward the environmental disaster that is China while seeking to end the development of necessary extraction competitors. This unholy alliance makes China stronger and the world less safe as the Communist Chinese government would hold the keys to the materials necessary to build our most sophisticated weapons systems, subjecting our nation’s leaders to coercion.
“The truth is that America has many necessary rare earth minerals within our borders just waiting to be mined, and the U.S. government should move forward on approval of Pebble Mine as an important first step in restoring our ability to end our dependency upon a Beijing regime which is engaged in war tactics against us.”
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 or at media@limitgov.org.
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