Take Action NOW
Please comment below this post to voice your concerns by NOVEMBER 2.
Breaking News! The Scoping Comment Period for the US Army Corp of Engineers Graphite One 404 Environmental Impact Statement ends on November 9:
If you haven't commented or your organization hasn't yet spread the word with public comments on this article, please do so below!
Kigluak Mountain Range above Hot Springs Creek. Site of the Proposed Graphite One Mine. (Photo Credit: Hal Shepherd)
Graphite One, a Canadian-based mining company, is applying for a federal permit for a 23,680 acre, year-round open-pit mine in Alaska’s remote Kigluaik Mountains. Also, to access what is likely the largest graphite deposit in the United States, the mining company proposes the construction of a 17.3-mile-long road cutting across salmon streams and archaeological sites and water withdrawals from over a dozen streams, further jeopardizing already low numbers of some returning salmon species at the exact time climate change is warming Arctic streams.
The outcome of the federal permitting phase for Graphite One will establish a precedent throughout Alaska for sacrificing sacred places and subsistence resources in exchange for resources. In the rush to mine graphite and other precious minerals, the analysis of the impacts of mining and other development activities is being fast-tracked, with little input to date from the Native communities most directly impacted.
Please use this sample email template and send to the Army Corp of Engineers using the address provided:
Subject: Public Comment POA-2018-00210
Send to: Gregory.j.mazer@usace.army.mil
Dear Mr. Mazer,
I am writing to submit a public comment regarding the Scoping Process for the proposed Graphite One open-pit mine in the Kigluaik Mountains of Alaska.
I am deeply concerned about the potential environmental, cultural, and public health impacts this project poses to the region, particularly to the Alaska Native Tribal communities of Mary’s Igloo, Brevig Mission and Teller, which are located near the proposed site and along the Kougarok Road, the intended haul route.
I am also concerned that the application is being fast tracked under the federal Fast-41 process and Trump administration executive orders favoring industrial extraction activities over proper environmental analysis of impacts on water and subsistence resources. Similarly, while the Army Corps of Engineers appears to have been communicating with Graphite One about about the permit application no-such communication has occurred with regards to the application or jurisdictional determination regarding the application of the Waters of the U.S. Rule. Given these concerns, I respectfully request that Environmental Impact Statement include the following alternative:
The EIS include data and reports conducted by the Tribes related to water flow & quality, fish surveys, HAB algea growths, etc
A no action alternative that includes the option of no mining construction at all.
A no action alternative that fully contemplates
That all alternatives fully analyze the Environmental resources and impacts – e.g., fish and wildlife, water quality, wetlands, air quality, noise, cultural resources, habitat loss, sedimentation, hydrologic changes, erosion, flood impacts.
That each alternatives fully mitigate for the the impacts analyzed
That each alternative complies with relevant laws and regulations including the Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, or other laws.
That all alternatives fully analyze community impacts and safety, aesthetics, economic effects.
Each of the Tribes have officially expressed opposition to this project. Their positions reflect the deep concern many residents share about potential harm to subsistence resources, water quality, and the long-term wellbeing of the land and people.
This project has far-reaching implications for the environment, for local and Tribal sovereignty, and for the future health of rural Alaskan communities. I urge the Corps to take these concerns seriously and to ensure that this process remains transparent, inclusive, and accountable.
Thank you for your time and consideration of these comments.
To learn more about this action and why it’s needed, visit: Protecting Subsistence Resources in the Imuruk Basin
