Media Contact:
Claire Hermann, chermann@earthworksaction.org
A federal district court in Arizona has paused the U.S. government’s plans to move ahead with trading sacred Oak Flat to a multinational mining project for a copper mine. This welcome pause makes sure that the land transfer does not happen before the Supreme Court deliberates on whether or not to hear the case, which is brought by the Apache Stronghold, a group of traditional Apache and other Native and non-Native allies.
“Oak Flat, Chi’chil Bildagoteel, is a place for ceremony and gathering of food and medicine, and it is of utmost cultural importance to traditional Apaches. We’re glad the District Court has taken steps to protect this sacred site as a case defending it from mining makes its way through the appeals process,” said Kassandra Lisenbee, Southwest Campaigner, Earthworks.
The proposed mine would destroy Oak Flat and violate the religious freedom of the Apache people. In his ruling, Judge Steven P. Logan wrote, “there is no close question in this matter. It is abundantly clear that the balance of equities ‘tips sharply’ in Plaintiff’s favor, and that even in the short term, they have established a likelihood of irreparable harm should the transfer proceed.”
The damage from this mine would be significant even beyond this irreplaceable site. The Resolution Copper Mine would use a technique called block cave mining that requires retrieving the ore from over 7,000 feet underground, leaving a crater that would be up to two miles wide and 1,000 feet deep.
“We are glad to see this move in support of the Apache Stronghold and the temporary protection of this sacred site from the proposed Resolution Copper Project,” said Lisenbee.
In separate cases, Earthworks and the San Carlos Apache Tribe also seek preliminary injunctions to prevent the land transfer for this project. A hearing for those cases will occur on June 6.
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