‘Protect our future’: Alaskan Indigenous town fights ‘destructive’ uranium mine project | Alaska

andOr generations, the people of the region lived the forests and waters of the northwest AlaskaCaribu hunting and bearded seals in late winter, collecting bird eggs and wild vegetables from tundra in early spring, and fishing in the end of summer.

The IUPIIT community, which includes 350 people, lives on one of the most productive fish fisheries in the state, and it is an entrance to the Beer Sea called Norton Sound. They point out to their lands as Munaaquestevut, or “the person who cares for us.”

“We rely on the ground to put food on the table, to maintain the health of our tribe,” said Emily Murray, a resident of the region and vice -president of the Norton Pay Witrchid Council, a non -profit tribal, is a non -profit tribal, and a non -profit tribal: organized Focus on regional water quality.

“We have done this for generations for generations.”

Now, community members say that the intense global competition for critical minerals and the priorities of the new administration threaten to set their lands, fisheries and their lives at risk.

This summer, Canadian Panther Minerals is scheduled to start exploring the uranium mine in the waters of the Tubuktuk River, next to ELN. David Hydroly Smith, Lanter Advisor and owner of mining for mining for the property, He said The site can become the “American capital of uranium”.

The people of the judiciary have opposed the mine since last May, when the minerals are tiger Declare Its intention to apply for exploration permits. In the interviews, they said they were afraid of their health, and they talked about cancer and pollution He follows Uranium mining on the land of Navago in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

“if [the river] It becomes contaminated, it will have an effect on the entire Beer Sea. This is the way I see.

Last summer, I successfully pressed the Land Management Office, which runs a small part of the claim, Deny A permit to explore tiger minerals on the ground. In December, a regional tribal union has passed accuracy “Categorically” opposition to the mine.

However, the Alaska Natural Resources (DNR), which runs most of the lands, has so far rejected residency requests to obtain a consultation – and ignore them more than a hundred comments from the community due to the mine’s plans. In October, they gave Panther Mineraals a four -year exploration permit, which would allow the company to start wells and take basic uranium samples in June.

It has resumed eliminating the permit. But as time runs out, society went one step forward, as it protested against the mine using the largest international forum available to them: The Idarod, the arduous annual dog race in Alaska, which passes through its village on its way to sleep.

When Musher Jesse Holmes is approaching the Eln and 1008 checkpoint tendency From the race, more than 70 students and members of society waited on the Arctic night. They kept signs that say “protect our future”, and “preserving uranium on Earth.”

Their chance to tell the world was what their way of life means to them.

“I want to protect our future,” said Big Keith, the eighth grade student of Ele. “If they pass, this will affect our animals and water. I want to help try to stop the mine.”

“Resources Race”

The global competition for critical minerals is also intensified, Trump administration Looking to Alaska.

Executive order issued on the first day of Trump in his position Calls The United States has to “fully benefit from the vast lands and resources of Alaska.” The matter was Applaud By the state mining industry.

Arrangement reverse A number of the protection of the Biden era for the lands of Alaska, and the opening of oil and gas pits in the national wildlife shelter in the Arctic and the end Restrictions on cutting trees.

Many of these repercussions have placed management for cross -purpose with indigenous societies that live outside Alaska. For example, one of them enables plans to reach mining in the Broks Group in Alaska, which is owned by a tribal network The name “One of the largest and destructive projects” in the history of the state.

“We are in the era of green transition. We are looking for other forms of energy. With the new administration, there is this batch to extract locally,” said Yasmine Gemook, activist from Ele.

“It is a resource race and they look at Alaska.”

The coming years are likely to witness continuous conflicts between the strong mining industry in Alaska and the original societies – especially since the United States is seeking a critical metal supply chain beach. Although the mineral exploration permit in the tiger is up to Alaska, not the federal government, defenders and members of the community said that the Trump administration may encourage DNR in Alaska to clean the judiciary’s concerns aside. Alaska ruler, Mike Dniple, has Welcoming Trump’s executive orders, saying: “Happy days here again.”

“The current administration in Alaska is a very industrial extraction,” said Alaska, a lawyer and a lawyer -based water rights and headquarters of water, Alaska. “Trump and Dunlifi are mainly partners in Alaska’s development.”

“Our current ruler is largely Republican. If he is not unintended, he will sell it,” said Robert Keith, the original head of the judiciary.

Alaska did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Non -consultation

In interviews with the local media, Hedderi Smith, the project advisor, said that the people of residence “have misled and spread errors”, regarding the dangers of the uranium mine.

Robert Birmingham, President of Panther Mineraals, did not respond to inquiries related to Element’s health concerns, saying that the company has not yet finished mining plans and could not comment.

“We are positive about the chance of uranium in Alaska, where its tablets have been canceled,” he wrote, and said that the company “will continue to raise awareness and conversation with the judiciary” once its plans are completed.

Hedderly-Smth also said the company “wants to be friends” with ELL if it is the development of the mine. But while Birmingham said that the company made an attempt to contact ELV in early 2024, Keith, ELC president, said that the tiger minerals did not come to their village or tried to contact society since they applied for the first time.

For the sake of exclusion, the mine’s plans arouse a history of governmental and federal failures in protecting indigenous societies from mining damage. In 2008, the community succeeded in a crowd against another Canadian company, Triex Mineraals, which began to explore uranium near their village. While organizing their opposition, ELL students discussed the effects of uranium mining elsewhere in the United States.

They learned about the example of Navajo, cancerous risks and health problems that came after they allowed uranium mines on their soil.

If a mine is built He said It is likely to be used to put on the site to extract uranium – a technique that is said to be less disturbing than the traditional methods of extracting materials, including those used in Navajo. However, shepherd and society said that the use of the proposed groundwater project Threaten For fisheries and ecosystem pollution.

Keith said that society has a reason for caution against government promises. Closer to the house, he gave an example of Musa Point, a fishing village alongside the judiciary that hosted a military airport during World War II. He said that the army has been buried or left many materials on the site, including thousands of high -fuel drums.

He said: “Most of these people where the concentrations of drums were, including my mother – most of them survived or died due to cancer.” “So we are a kind of sensitivity.”

“What does not realize is that society carries the burden. All they leave, everything that is contaminated in this process … we are not consulted at all,” the activist.

Her grandfather Johnny Jimmok agreed. He said the time to act is now.

“People, the way I see here, does not realize what the future hides for them as soon as they start the disease. Either they start the disease, the food they cannot eat, or the water they cannot play in,” he said.

“When this begins to walk, they will want to say,” Let’s do something. “But this is very late.”