And just how government activism and a scumbag (a family member has known him for years, and women have their stories, too) on a vendetta can kill a project like this in Alaska will have a far reaching consequences beyond Pebble. Every major development takes into account a political environment risk, and Alaska has to rank right up with Venezuela in that regard.
Good luck with your tourism based summer job or firefighting job there. Gee, that dividend check from the native corporation sure doesn't go far. I wonder why?
This country's and state's political environment is so hostile to the resource industry I don't know if I can work here anymore. You have to get outside of it to appreciate it. I could if I wanted to spend 10 years between promotions - that is how ossified my career field is getting in Alaska, but in Canada I've gotten 3 significant promotions under 3 years without even really applying myself. I am also among a network of like minded professionals that will gain me a good job anywhere in western Canada, Asia, or South America.
I hurt my career badly for ~15 years before realizing I had to leave the state to have a future. I still live in Wasilla, but I'll move to BC one of these days as that is where the jobs are.