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.

Kuskokwim River, in southwest Alaska.
Kuskokwim River, in southwest Alaska. The Donlin mine's massive industrial operation will destroy thousands of acres of wetlands and streams and cause permanently elevated levels of dangerous metals in local water. (Peter Griffith / NASA)

Case Updates

July 1, 2021 In the News: KTOO

Orutsararmiut Native Council to challenge Donlin Mine water quality certificate in court

Tom Waldo, Attorney, Alaska Office, Earthjustice: “The mine, as proposed, would not comply with water quality standards for protection of salmon habitat, for temperature, and for mercury.”

June 30, 2021 In the News: KYUK

ONC To Challenge Donlin Water Quality Certificate In Court

Tom Waldo, Attorney, Alaska Office, Earthjustice: “The mine, as proposed, would not comply with water quality standards for protection of salmon habitat, for temperature, and for mercury.”

June 28, 2021 Press Release

Bethel Tribe Challenges DEC Commissioner’s Decision Upholding Donlin Gold Mine Permit

Mine operations will cause mercury to spike to unsafe levels