RE:RealityThe Bill you are referring to is not a vote against Pebble; it is a vote in favor of state's rights. There is no state in the country where people are more inclined to want the Federal government to keep its nose out of their business than Alaska. (FFS, the state is closer to Russia than to Washington. According to Sarah Palin, you can see it from her porch.)
IMO, it is appropriate that Alaskan's should decide the fate of the project. It is not an issue of national security or overwhelming national interest. Unless perhaps the Federal government decides that it needs to gold to replenish Fort Knox, in which case it would presumably not be impeding the permitting process but paving the way for it.