ORUTSARARMIUT NATIVE COUNCIL; ) TULUKSAK NATIVE COMMUNITY; and ORGANIZED VILLAGE OF KWETHLUK v. UNITED STATES ARMY CORPS OF ENGINEERS; UNITED STATES BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT; UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR; COLONEL DAMON DELAROSA, and et al

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Three indigenous tribes in Alaska, the Orutsararmiut Native Council, the Tuluksak Native Community, and the Organized Village of Kwethluk sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska to block construction of a gold mine in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of southwest Alaska that would become one of the largest such mines in the world. Plaintiffs argue that federal regulators overlooked the possibility of a catastrophic waste spill, downplayed the potential health risks of the mine, and ignored its effects on wildlife. Plaintiffs are represented by Earthjustice and are seeking declaratory judgment and injunctive relief.

[To accompany Case Law Update "Alaskan Tribes Challenge Impacts of Gold Mine Construction on Wildlife” from Brooks Animal Law Digest Issue No. 184]