Challenging the Donlin Gold Mine
The massive industrial operation will destroy thousands of acres of wetlands and streams, create billions of tons of waste, cause permanently elevated levels of dangerous metals in local waters, require permanent water treatment, and pose an enduring threat to the communities who have subsisted in the region for millennia.
Clients
Chevak Traditional CouncilNative Village of EekNative Village of KwigillingokOrutsararmiut Traditional Native CouncilCook Inletkeeper
Attorneys
Regional Office / Program
Case Overview
A consortium of Tribal governments from the Kuskokwim region, represented by Earthjustice, are fighting Donlin Gold, a mining project owned by Canadian-based mining giants NovaGold and Barrick Gold.
If it is constructed, the proposed Donlin Gold mine will be one of the world’s largest open-pit mines.
Located 10 miles north of the village of Crooked Creek on a tributary of Alaska’s Kuskokwim River headwaters, the project will dramatically change the Yukon Kuskokwim region, threatening the health and well-being of residents, communities, and wildlife for generations.
Construction of the mine may permanently damage water, fish and game resources, and the subsistence lifestyle of the Yukon Kuskokwim River Delta. Donlin’s proposed reclamation and closure plan is of great concern to Tribal leaders, who demand a plan that protects future generations who will have to live with the consequences of the Donlin project for all time.
Many residents across the Yukon-Kuskokwim region practice a subsistence lifestyle, and see Donlin’s mining development as a major threat to their way of life.
Case Updates
Case page created on July 1, 2021.