What is needed is NAK to be owned by a US mining company.
The strategic metals that would be produced are essential
for US national security interests. The Chinese know this
and they use US environmental groups to carry out their agenda
to prevent that deposit from being tapped!
Sooner or later those deposits will be mined...Having a US based
miner own it will help to dampen down the criticism of "foreign"
ownership. If a company lie FCX owned NAK they could even "TRADE"
properties if it came down to that. (Or, forgo development of Pebble
in exchange for development of another property, but retaining rights
to develop Pebble into the future.)
For NAK to go it alone here is suicide. In order to have areal shot
at approval it will have to be owned by more powerful interests...
Otherwise, NAK is just spinning its wheels and not going anywhere!