So here’s the deal: America is about to have a massive copper problem, and the solution might be sitting under a bunch of very angry salmon in Alaska.
You know how everyone’s obsessed with AI and data centers these days? Well, turns out all those shiny new servers need a lot of copper. Like, an absolutely ridiculous amount. We’re talking about the kind of demand that makes commodity traders break out in cold sweats.
Enter the Pebble Mine – Alaska’s most controversial hole-in-the-ground that isn’t actually a hole yet. This thing has been stuck in bureaucratic purgatory for over a decade, spanning three different presidents who all basically said “nah, we’re good” to what could be America’s copper jackpot.
Here’s where it gets interesting (and slightly depressing): S&P Global just dropped a report saying we’re going to be about 10 million metric tons short of copper by 2040. That’s not a typo. Ten. Million. Tons. Meanwhile, copper prices just smashed through $12,000 per ton for the first time, up 40% in just 12 months. Your portfolio’s copper stocks are probably doing a happy dance right about now.
The Pebble Mine sits on what its owners claim is the world’s largest undeveloped stash of copper and gold. Plus molybdenum and silver – basically the entire periodic table of “stuff we need for the AI revolution.” It’s like finding a treasure chest, except the treasure chest is the size of Manhattan and buried under one of Alaska’s premier salmon fishing spots.
And that’s where things get spicy. The EPA slapped this project with a 404(c) veto back in 2014 – before the company even got to the permitting stage. That’s like getting rejected for a job before you submit your resume. The Alaska Miners Association is still salty about it, calling the move “unprecedented” and “not legal.”
Now, with Trump back in office and everyone suddenly caring about “domestic supply chains” again, the Pebble Mine is having its main character moment. The administration is scrambling to secure critical materials, and here’s this massive copper deposit just sitting there, legally cockblocked by environmental concerns.
It’s the classic American dilemma: Do we prioritize the salmon or the servers? The fish or the future? The environment or the economy? (Spoiler alert: it’s never that simple, but the headlines love a good either-or scenario.)
Local supporters argue that America shouldn’t be dependent on foreign copper when we’ve got our own buried treasure. Critics point out that Bristol Bay’s salmon runs are kind of a big deal – both economically and ecologically.
The real kicker? Even Donald Trump Jr. reportedly opposed the mine during daddy’s first term, citing environmental impacts. When a Trump is worried about the environment, you know the situation is complicated.
So here we are: staring down a copper shortage that could derail the AI boom, with a potential solution that’s been gathering dust in regulatory limbo for over a decade. It’s like having the antidote but keeping it locked in a cabinet while the patient gets sicker.
Whether this mine ever sees the light of day depends on how badly America wants to control its own copper destiny – and whether we can figure out how to do it without turning Alaska’s pristine waters into an environmental disaster zone.
Stay tuned. This story’s just getting started.