Political ads touting Senator Begich's statements against Pebble appear to have been last summer or fall, months before his position was public.
Just a few days after the EPA released the final version of its watershed assessment in January, Senator Mark Begich announced a position against the Pebble Mine. Begich, facing a tough re-election this year, said that his decision was based on a careful reading of the EPA's 1300 pages of findings.
Just one day after his unexpected announcement, some groups opposed to Pebble had a slick made-for-tv ad out supporting Begich. If the speed with which it was released wasn't strange enough, the footage thanking Senator Begich seems to have been filmed last fall.
KDLG’s Dave Bendinger has more:
The Alaska Journal of Commerce's Molly Dischner was first on the story ... read her article here.