In a pivotal legal battle, Alaska’s congressional delegation has thrown its support behind the proposed Donlin Gold mine in Southwest Alaska. The bipartisan delegation, comprising Republican U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, and Democratic U.S. Representative Mary Peltola, filed a friend-of-the-court brief in federal court late Tuesday, describing the mine as “one of the state’s most important and necessary economic development projects.” The delegation’s stance aligns them with Calista, the Alaska Native-owned corporation that holds the mineral rights in the proposed mine’s location, and the company developing the project. Calista and the company intervened in the lawsuit to defend the environmental approvals granted to the project.
The congressional delegation’s brief argues that blocking the construction of the Donlin mine would hinder the economic development of Southwest Alaska, one of the most impoverished regions in the state. They contend that the mine would create employment opportunities for up to 1,900 workers during construction and 600 during operations, providing a significant economic boost to the region. Additionally, Calista and a smaller Native-owned village corporation stand to benefit financially from lease, surface use agreement, and royalty payments associated with the mine.
However, the delegation’s filing has been met with opposition from a coalition of tribal governments that initiated the lawsuit against the mine. The tribes, which include those from the communities of Bethel, Tuluksak, Kwethluk, Eek, Kwigillingok, and Chevak, allege that the mine’s development would have severe environmental and cultural impacts on the Kuskokwim River region. They argue that the mine would restrict subsistence uses, imperil ecosystems and fisheries, and potentially contaminate the Kuskokwim River, which is a vital source of food and sustenance for the region’s indigenous communities.
The congressional delegation’s brief must still be formally accepted by U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason, who is overseeing the case. The tribal government from the village of Crooked Creek has also filed its own friend-of-the-court brief in defense of the environmental approvals, making it the only tribe to support the mine in the court case, according to the project’s opponents.
The ongoing legal battle over the Donlin Gold mine highlights the complex and often conflicting interests at play in Alaska’s natural resource development. While the mine has the potential to bring economic benefits to the region, it also raises concerns about environmental protection and the preservation of subsistence livelihoods for Alaska’s indigenous communities.
