Credit Dean Swope / KYUK
On July 22, six tribes appealed 12 water rights permits granted to Donlin Gold. The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued the permits last month.
The 12 water rights permits allow Donlin to use ground and creek water for a variety of purposes. One will allow the mine to pump out groundwater so it can dig a pit. Another permit allows the mine to pump water to its office and residential facilities. The law firm Earthjustice represents six Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region tribes in their legal battles against the mine, including the Orutsararmiut Native Council, Chuloonawick Native Village, Tuluksak Native Community, Chevak Native Village, Native Village of Eek, and the Kasigluk Traditional Council.
ONC To Challenge Donlin Water Quality Certificate In Court kyuk.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kyuk.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Feds settle with environmentalists over Tongass lawsuit costs
Posted by Jacob Resneck, CoastAlaska | Apr 8, 2021
Clearcuts and old-growth forests are part of the view on Prince of Wales Island. (Nick Bonzey, Flick Creative Commons)
Industry groups and the federal agency argued that the project was key to keeping Southeast’s last mills running over the next decade.
But a federal judge agreed with the plaintiffs who argued that the federal agency didn’t follow the law when it approved the timber sales. That’s because it hadn’t provided site-specific information over areas that could be logged.
The Department of Justice agreed this week to pay the funds into an account held by Earthjustice’s Alaska office. That’s the environmental law firm that litigated the case. Lead attorney Tom Waldo says the actual costs were about $301,000 in fees and other costs. But the parties settled to avoid bringing the matter back to the judge.