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Caribou in the Western Arctic, the region where the Willow Project is being planned. (Kiliii Yuyan for Earthjustice)
Article November 22, 2023

Disrupting the Willow Project and Big Oil’s Even Bigger Dreams

Earthjustice filed an appeal and a motion to prevent construction on the Alaska mega-project. Here’s what comes next.

Fossil fuel pipelines crossing the Western Arctic in Alaska. (Kiliii Yuyan for Earthjustice)
Update November 17, 2023

We Just Filed an Appeal to Stop the Willow Project

Willow would be catastrophic for the climate, and we will not drop our challenge.

Press Release November 10, 2023

Tras Fallo Que Favorece al Proyecto Petrolero Willow, Grupos Presentarán Apelación

Grupos conservacionistas prometen seguir luchando contra el proyecto de combustibles fósiles de ConocoPhillips en el Ártico

Caribou in the western Arctic. (Kiliii Yüyan for Earthjustice)
Press Release November 9, 2023

Alaska District Court Rules Willow Oil Project Can Proceed; Conservation Groups Plan To File Appeal

Groups vow to keep up the fight against ConocoPhillips fossil fuel project in Arctic

Document November 9, 2023

Willow Oil Project: Alaska District Court Decision

Groups vow to keep up the fight against ConocoPhillips fossil fuel project in Arctic

Document October 31, 2023

Palmer Project: Notice of Appeal

Conservation organizations challenged a controversial wastewater discharge permit for the Palmer Project, a proposed multi-metals mine at the Chilkat Watershed’s headwaters. Earthjustice filed an appeal in Alaska Superior Court on behalf of Lynn Canal Conservation, Rivers Without Borders, and the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council seeking more protective standards for wastewater discharge from mineral exploration conducted by Constantine Metal Resources Ltd (Constantine), a subsidiary of Vancouver, B.C.-based American Pacific Mining.

A bald eagle lands in the snow at the edge of the Chilkat River, near Haines, Alaska. In this area is the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, where thousands of bald eagles gather to feast on the last runs of coho and chum salmon—a globally unique phenomenon. (Sergei Uryadnikov / Getty Images)
Press Release October 31, 2023

Groups Challenge State of Alaska Over Flawed Mine Water Permit

Regional groups seek tougher standards to protect Chilkat Watershed from Palmer Project wastewater

Document October 2, 2023

ONC et al Appeal of State Water Rights Permits, Donlin Mine

Orutsararmiut Native Council (ONC) and the Native Village of Eek today filed an appeal in the Alaska Supreme Court to review a lower court decision upholding 12 state water rights permits for the Donlin Gold Mine project.

In the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The Kuskokwim River provides a critical source of wild food and serves as a bedrock of identity and cultural values for Alaska Native Tribal citizens and community members living downstream from the Donlin mine site. (Dave Cannon)
Press Release October 2, 2023

Southwest Alaska Tribes File Two Separate State Appeals Challenging the Donlin Gold Mine

State of Alaska agencies failed to fully consider harmful impacts of the massive gold mine when issuing water permits and a water quality certificate

Stikine River (Michael Penn)
Press Release September 21, 2023

Transboundary Mining in British Columbia May Violate Human Rights, Says Inter-American Commission

Petition from the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC) addresses Canada’s failure to regulate and prevent threats from large-scale mining operations in British Columbia

Document September 18, 2023

IACHR Report on Admissibility for SEITC Petition

Decision by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to admit a petition from Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC), alleging that Canada’s failure to regulate and prevent threats from large-scale mining operations in British Columbia constitutes a violation of SEITC member Tribes’ internationally recognized human rights.

Press Release September 6, 2023

Earthjustice Celebra Cancelación De Ofertas Para Exploración en Refugios En El Ártico Y Otras Acciones Propuestas

La administración Biden cancela ofertas ilegales y abre nuevos procesos que podrían preservar las preciadas tierras árticas en Alaska, pero se necesita más para abordar la mayor amenaza climática: más perforaciones en los arrendamientos de petróleo y gas existentes en el Ártico occidental.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the Brooks Range mountains, Alaska. (Patrick J. Endres / Getty Images)
Update: Victory September 6, 2023

In Big Win for Arctic, Government Cancels Illegal Oil Leases in Alaska

Earthjustice has advocated for decades in courts and Congress to protect these lands.

The 19 million acres of tundra, rivers and mountains of the Arctic Refuge shelter migratory birds from all 50 states and six continents each summer. To the Gwich'in people of northeast Alaska, this is sacred ground. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
Press Release September 6, 2023

Earthjustice Celebrates Cancellation of Arctic Refuge Leases and Proposed Future Actions

Biden administration cancels illegal leases and opens new processes that could preserve cherished Arctic lands in Alaska. More is needed to tackle the biggest climate threat: further oil drilling on existing oil and gas leases in the Western Arctic 

A bald eagle lands in the snow at the edge of the Chilkat River, near Haines, Alaska. In this area is the Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, where thousands of bald eagles gather to feast on the last runs of coho and chum salmon—a globally unique phenomenon. (Sergei Uryadnikov / Getty Images)
Press Release August 21, 2023

State of Alaska Upholds Weak Mining Wastewater Permit While Requiring Additional Safeguards for Water Quality in the Chilkat River Watershed

In a partial win for the Chilkat Indian Village, salmon and conservation groups, additional water quality analysis is now required to safeguard against mining

Document August 21, 2023

Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation Decision, Palmer Project Mining Waste Management Permit for Exploratory Drilling

In a final agency decision issued on an administrative appeal, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) upheld a flawed waste management permit for exploratory drilling at the Palmer Project mine in Southeast Alaska while also determining that more work must be done to ensure Alaska’s water quality standards are not exceeded due to wastewater from the mining project.

Surrounded by temperate rainforest, a vacant U.S. Forest Service bunkhouse has been selected as the site of a healing center. (Rebecca Bowe / Earthjustice)
Article August 16, 2023

Where a Logging Camp Once Stood, a Center for Healing Takes Root

In Kake, Alaska, protecting a temperate rainforest means protecting a way of life.

Endangered beluga whale, photographed during a hexacopter photogrammetry study of the Cook Inlet population. (Paul Wade / NOAA Fisheries)
Press Release August 11, 2023

Lawsuit Challenges Federal Approval of Alaska LNG Exports

Energy Department export approval failed to fully assess project’s climate, environmental harms