Life - Educated and Truthful (@SanFranciscoBayNorth)

John Shively (Pebble Limited Partnership / Northern Dynasty Minerals – NAK), on Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street (Fox Business), early February 2026. That matches the appearance you’re referring to (the main one with Maria that year; “last month” from August 2026 is a bit off, but it’s the clear recent TV hit). Shively is the longtime Alaska operator (ex-Natural Resources Commissioner, NANA/Red Dog background, back as Pebble Partnership chairman/CEO since ~2020) who’s been pushing the massive copper-gold-molybdenum deposit in southwest Alaska for years. He’s in his early 80s, which tracks with the frail/raspy delivery you noticed—plenty of people commented on how labored or tired he sounded. Core of the short segment Maria framed it around the U.S. copper shortage for AI/data centers/energy transition/national security, China’s dominance in processing (~half the world’s copper), and Pebble as a potential domestic fix sitting on a huge deposit. She asked for the status.Shively’s points (paraphrased tightly from the transcript): Status: “We are in limbo.” Biden EPA used the Clean Water Act to veto it. Pebble (on state land designated for mineral development), the State of Alaska, and two local Native village corporations all sued. Litigation was moving; the feds were due to respond around mid-February 2026. They were engaging the Trump administration and hoped it wouldn’t keep defending a Biden-era decision that undercuts the stated goal of U.S. mineral self-sufficiency. Opposition / environment: Environmental groups treat Pebble as a fundraising tool and exaggerate impacts (claiming destruction of the Bristol Bay sockeye fishery). He said they spent >$200 million on environmental studies; the Army Corps Final EIS concluded the project can proceed without harming the fishery. Design changes were made during permitting to improve safety. China angle: China planned this for decades while the U.S. assumed minerals would always be available. Beijing can manipulate supply/prices because it controls more of the chain (concentrate → metals → EVs/solar/etc.). The U.S. needs domestic sources. Maria wrapped by noting China’s broader dominance in critical minerals/pharma/etc. and said they’d keep watching. Segment was brief (~3–4 minutes of actual interview time in a larger show). Context / “Grok” takePebble has been one of the most litigated, politicized mining projects in the U.S. for 15+ years—huge resource potential (one of the world’s largest undeveloped copper deposits) vs. intense opposition over Bristol Bay salmon, Native concerns (split among local villages), and national politics. The 2023 EPA veto is the key roadblock; the company, Alaska, and some local Native corps are in federal court trying to overturn it. By mid-2026 oral arguments had happened and a decision was pending. Shively’s consistent line is that the science (EIS) supports responsible development, the veto is overreach, and blocking it hands strategic minerals to China while the U.S. talks about AI/energy security and critical minerals. The delivery you flagged is real—elderly voice, measured/slow pacing that can come across as exhausted or labored, especially next to Maria’s high-energy style. Content itself is the standard pro-development, anti-regulatory-overreach, China-risk pitch he’s given in other interviews (podcasts, local Alaska radio, etc.) that year. No major new bombshells; it was a status + talking-points hit timed to copper/AI supply-chain chatter.There’s a short Fox Business clip of it (“US copper crisis threatens AI race with China”) that captures the essence. Full episode archive exists on Internet Archive under the February 8, 2026 Maria Bartiromo’s Wall Street airing. Northern Dynasty (NAK) stock is a pure play on whether/when this ever gets unblocked—highly speculative, binary on the litigation and politics.