"Southwest Alaska Tribes Sue To Stop Donlin Gold Project"

"Three Alaska tribes are suing the federal government to halt the Donlin Gold project.

Tribes from the Western Alaska communities of Kwethluk, Tuluksak and Bethel say the Army Corps of Engineers, Bureau of Land Management and Interior Department illegally approved the project in 2018. The tribes say the federal government did not fully disclose the project’s health impacts, did not properly weigh the potential harm to the region from a catastrophic spill, and did not provide adequate protection for rainbow smelt, a subsistence food, from increased barge traffic associated with the project.

The tribes are challenging the final approval for the project, a Corps permit allowing filling of wetlands, and a right-of-way for a pipeline issued by the BLM and Interior, the lawsuit says."

Alex DeMarban reports for the Anchorage Daily News April 6, 2023.