Donlin

Donlin Gold has announced plans to restart its drilling program as the state loosens coronavirus health mandates and travel restrictions.

In the letter, ten tribes ask investors to withdraw their support of the project, which they say doesn't have support of the region.

The state of Alaska approved a right-of-way lease for Donlin Gold’s proposed 315-mile gas pipeline on Jan. 17. The lease is an important step forward in the company’s quest to build the Donlin Gold Mine, which could be one of the largest in the world if completed.

The permits will allow Donlin to build an airstrip and a port, and install fiber optic cables and build access roads for its mine, which could be one of the biggest in the world, if completed.

For the last two decades, mining companies have been working to develop the massive Donlin Gold prospect in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. And most of that time, the development has claimed support from neighboring communities. But that’s changing. Tribes, organizations, and communities have begun opposing the mine development and organizing.

Another resolution against the proposed Donlin mine has passed. This time, at the National Congress of American Indians annual conference in New Mexico last month. This is the first time a national organization has supported tribes’ opposition of the mine.

Azachorok, a village corporation in Mountain Village, seeks to give shareholders who live closest to the proposed Donlin mine a say in whether it’s built.

This is part two of a three-part series reported from a village of 20 people on the Upper Kuskokwim River that stands to gain the most from the proposed Donlin Mine. Red Devil was built by mining almost 100 years ago, and now carries a toxic legacy of mine pollution. But to its residents, the Donlin Gold mine represents hope. Like so many communities in Alaska, resource extraction is at once a lifeline and a risk.

This is part one of a three-part series reported from a village of 20 people on the Upper Kuskokwim River that stands to gain the most from the proposed Donlin Mine. Red Devil was built by mining almost 100 years ago, and now carries a toxic legacy of mine pollution. But to its residents, the Donlin Gold mine represents hope. Like so many communities in Alaska, resource extraction is at once a lifeline and a risk.

After two hours of passionate debate, delegates from 56 Alaska tribes overwhelmingly voted to withdraw a resolution supporting the mine, and then voted to pass a separate resolution that opposes it.