I agree to an extent with you, but the EPA could kill Pebble before it applies for permits. This would be unprecedented, a major abuse of power, and would be a major blow to LBSR'S Big Chunk claims, which shareholders have paid a painful steep price for..... From Long Hawl: Reaction to EPA Links added because email links were not copied over in iHub EPA Action “Premature and Unprecedented” Today, EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy issued an unprecedented request to preemptively initiate Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 404(c) proceedings for the proposed Pebble Mine project, despite the fact that no company has applied for a CWA permit. Tom Collier, CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership, reaffirmed the Partnership’s commitment to working through the process, and, in an official release, stated “The EPA’s actions today are an unprecedented federal action and reflect a major overreach onto an asset of the State of Alaska. There is a prescribed, science-based process for evaluating projects such as Pebble, and the EPA has initiated a step that turns this process on its head.” Read Collier’s complete statement » http://corporate.pebblepartnership.com/news-article.php?s=404-process-is-premature-and-unprecedented Sen. Murkowski: Preemptive Veto Process is Bad for Region, State, and Nation U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) also released a statement concerning today’s action by the EPA. In it, she notes that “the process EPA has outlined could establish a terrible precedent that only further detracts from investors’ willingness to bring capital and jobs to Alaska.” She concluded, “If this action is allowed to stand [...] EPA’s actions here could have potentially widespread consequences for any development project, including airports and other infrastructure, anywhere in the nation.” Read Senator Murkowski’s complete statement » http://corporate.pebblepartnership.com/news-article.php?s=sen-murkowski-preemptive-veto-process-is-bad-for-region-state-and-nation Sen. Vitter: 404(c) is “Major Red Flag for Businesses” U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-Louisiana), top Republican on the Environment and Public Works Committee, agrees with Murkowski, saying, “We are seeing EPA resort to a ridiculous level of allowing political prejudices to determine how the Agency handles permitting.” Read Vitter’s complete statement » http://corporate.pebblepartnership.com/news-article.php?s=vitter-epa-proposal-to-preemptively-shut-down-pebble-mine-is-major-red-flag-for-businesses National Mining Association Calls EPA Action “Overreach” NMA President and CEO Hal Quinn characterized the EPA’s actions as an “overreach,” saying “Over the past several years, we’ve seen EPA tell other agencies to violate their rules and stop review, step in years later and revoke permits and, today, order agencies to refrain from consideration of a permit before it has been submitted.” More at NMA.org » http://nma.org/index.php/press-releases-2013/1384-epa-overreach-defies-due-process-destroying-economic-and-job-opportunities Related Websites The Pebble Partnership Alaska Miners Association Alaska Resource Development Council Alaska Resource Education Council of Alaska Producers Truth About Pebble