{"id":8429,"date":"2021-03-01T17:58:08","date_gmt":"2021-03-01T22:58:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=8429"},"modified":"2021-03-01T18:05:52","modified_gmt":"2021-03-01T23:05:52","slug":"san-carlos-apache-tribe-cheers-right-move-to-protect-sacred-site-from-copper-mine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/01\/san-carlos-apache-tribe-cheers-right-move-to-protect-sacred-site-from-copper-mine\/","title":{"rendered":"San Carlos Apache Tribe cheers &#8216;right move&#8217; to protect sacred site from copper mine"},"content":{"rendered":"  <div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\" ><iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5IGhpOa0ecY\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\n Indianz.Com Video:  <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/Video\/2020\/03\/12\/save-oak-flat-naelyn-pike-us-c.asp>Save Oak Flat | Naelyn Pike | US Capitol<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">San Carlos Apache Tribe cheers &#8216;right move&#8217; to protect sacred site from copper mine<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Monday, March 1, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"source\">Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n<p><\/p>WASHINGTON, D.C. &#8212; \r\nJust a week after asking a <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/01\/sancarlosapache022221.pdf\">federal judge to stop a huge copper mine<\/a> on sacred territory, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sancarlosaz\/\">San Carlos Apache Tribe<\/a> is celebrating the  Biden administration&#8217;s decision to pull back the controversial development.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nIn a statement on Monday, Chairman Terry Rambler said the <a href=https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/>U.S. Department of Agriculture<\/a> &#8212; now under new leadership thanks to the election of Joe Biden as president &#8212; has withdrawn the last-minute federal approvals of the Resolution Copper Mine at <a href=\"http:\/\/www.apache-stronghold.com\/\">Oak Flat, a sacred Apache site<\/a> in Arizona.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cThis is the right move by the Department of Agriculture,\u201d said Rambler. \u201cThe Resolution project will desecrate Chich\u2019il Bildagoteel, also known as Oak Flat, which is the heart of our religious and cultural beliefs.\u201d\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">BIG NEWS on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OakFlat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OakFlat<\/a>. <br><br>The Biden administration just rescinded federal approval of a huge copper mine on sacred Apache territory in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Arizona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Arizona<\/a>.<br><br>\u201cThis is the right move by the Department of Agriculture,&quot; said Chairman Terry Rambler of the San Carlos Apache Tribe. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProtectOakFlat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ProtectOakFlat<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1366483216044015618?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 1, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nRambler pointed out that the tribe is already suing the  United States for issuing the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutionmineeis.us\/\">final environmental statement<\/a> (FEIS) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutionmineeis.us\/documents\/draft-rod\">draft record of decision<\/a> for the copper mine mine on January 15. The <a href=https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/detail\/r3\/home\/?cid=FSEPRD858166>actions were among the last<\/a> taken during the Donald Trump administration, when Indian Country&#8217;s  needs, views and interests were often at the bottom of the list.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cAs noted in our federal lawsuit, the U.S. Forest Service failed to follow the law in the preparation of a sham final environmental impact statement   that was being used to justify trading away our sacred land to further enrich wealthy foreign mining companies,\u201d said Rambler.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut on the same day <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fs.usda.gov\/detail\/tonto\/news-events\/?cid=FSEPRD884391\">objections were due<\/a> to the final mine approvals, the tribe&#8217;s supporters are also cheering the new development from the nation&#8217;s capital.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThis fight has never been about just one site &#8212; it\u2019s been about ending the cycle of ignoring tribal input whenever it suits polluters,\u201d said <a href=\"https:\/\/grijalva.house.gov\/\">Rep. Ra\u00fal  Grijalva<\/a>  (D-Arizona), the chairman of the <a href=\"https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/\">House Committee on Natural Resources<\/a>. \u201cThe Trump administration rushed this document out the door as just one more favor to industry, regardless of how legally or scientifically unsupportable it was.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">More on <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/OakFlat?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#OakFlat<\/a>:<br><br>\u201cThis fight has never been about just one site \u2013 it\u2019s been about ending the cycle of ignoring tribal input whenever it suits polluters,\u201d said Rep. Ra\u00fal Grijalva (D-Arizona), Chairman of House Committee on Natural Resources. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProtectOakFlat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ProtectOakFlat<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NRDems?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@NRDems<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1366492081909362689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 1, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBoth Rambler and Grijalva, however, noted that the fight is far from over. The foreign backers of Resolution Copper can still pursue federal approval of the cooper mine, a process that was set in place more than six years ago by Congress under a <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2015\/07\/02\/sen-mccain-deemed-responsible.asp>hotly contested provision<\/a> tucked inside of a 1,648-page bill.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cWe look forward to continuing our work to permanently protect Oak Flat,\u201d said Chairman Rambler.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nTo that end, <a href=https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1366492081909362689>Grijalva said he would once again introduce  legislation<\/a> to repeal the controversial law that paved the way for the mine. With Democrats in control of both chambers of Congress and with Democrat Joe Biden in the White House, securing permanent protections of Oak Flat now appears within sight.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cThe Biden administration is doing the right thing with this reset, and I intend to reintroduce the Save Oak Flat Act in the coming days to make sure this needless controversy is settled on the side of justice once and for all,\u201d said Grijalva.\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nGrijalva has been trying to repeal  <a href=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2014\/12\/22\/section3003.pdf\">Section 3003<\/a> of the National Defense Authorization Act since it became <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2014\/12\/15\/congress-passes-bill-with-mine.asp>law in 2014<\/a>.\r\nBut Republicans controlled the U.S. House of Representatives for most of the time since then, and the Save Oak Flat Act never even got a hearing.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nThe political landscape began to change in the 116th Congress, when Democrats took over the House. Last March, Grijalva&#8217;s committee hosted one of the last <a href=https:\/\/naturalresources.house.gov\/hearings\/the-irreparable-environmental-and-cultural-impacts-of-the-proposed-resolution-copper-mining-operation>in-person hearings<\/a> of the pre-pandemic era, when elders and citizens of the San Carlos Apache Tribe came to Capitol Hill to protect Oak Flat from the copper mine.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n \u201cWhat they are trying to do is to come on Apache territory, our ancestral Apache homeland, and destroy the entire area for a mining corporation,\u201d Naelyn Pike, a young Apache leader, said at a <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/03\/12\/save-oak-flat-sacred-site-dc.asp>rally at the U.S. Capitol<\/a> on the day before the hearing.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n<figure>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-attachment-id=\"8436\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/01\/san-carlos-apache-tribe-cheers-right-move-to-protect-sacred-site-from-copper-mine\/oakflat\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/01\/oakflat-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 11 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1583949848&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.25&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;32&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0014084507042254&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"oakflat\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/01\/oakflat-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/01\/oakflat-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"oakflat\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8436\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Citizens and supporters of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, including former Chairman Wendsler Nosie Sr., far left, rallied at the U.S. Capitol on March 11, 2020, to call attention to the effort to protect Oak Flat in Arizona from development. Photo by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<P><\/p>\r\nOn the <a href=https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/>U.S. Senate<\/a> side, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sanders.senate.gov\/\">Sen. Bernie Sanders<\/a> (I-Vermont) has been trying to repeal Section 3003. Last week, he brought up the mine to <a href=\"https:\/\/haaland.house.gov\/\">Rep. Deb Haaland<\/a> (D-New Mexico), who has been nominated to <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2020\/12\/19\/i-am-honored-and-ready-to-serve-deb-haaland-and-the-joe-biden-administration\/>serve as Secretary of the Interior<\/a> in the Biden administration.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cIf confirmed, will you do everything in your power to prevent Oak Flat from being sacrificed?\u201d\r\nasked Sanders at a hearing of the <a href=https:\/\/energy.senate.gov\/>Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources<\/a> last Tuesday.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\u201cI believe that is within the purview of the Forest Service,\u201d <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/24\/recap-debforinterior-confirmation-hearing\/>Haaland responded<\/a>. \u201cHowever if i have an opportunity i would look forward to being briefed on it, to making sure that the voice  of the tribal nation is heard on that issue.\u201d\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nBut Sanders too was stymied by Republicans who previously controlled his chamber. In the 117th Congress, Democrats now have the upper hand in the Senate, which confirmed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usda.gov\/our-agency\/about-usda\/our-secretary\">Secretary Vilsack<\/a> on February 23 by a vote of  92-7. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\" ><iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item\"  src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/-AxFlj5jHuw\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\n Indianz.Com Video: <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/Video\/2020\/03\/12\/save-oak-flat-vernelda-grant-u.asp>Save Oak Flat | Vernelda Grant | US Capitol<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nHaaland, who is a citizen of the Pueblo of Laguna, awaits further action on her nomination. If confirmed, she would be the first Native person to lead the <a href=https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/>Department of the Interior<\/a>, the federal agency with the most trust and treaty responsibilities in Indian Country.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cIt is heartening that the Forest Service has listened to the overwhelming outcry from the public over the many deficiencies in the FEIS and the process that led to the release of a flawed document,\u201d said <a href=http:\/\/azminingreform.org\/huge-news-us-forest-service-rescinds-resolution-copper-final-impact-statement\/>Roger Featherstone, the director of the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition<\/a>, a group that opposes the Resolution Copper project at Oak Flat.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n\u201cThis underscores yet again that the Resolution Copper project is a fatally flawed failed experiment.  We urge the US Congress to pass legislation, as the Forest Service\u2019s statement suggests, to once and forever end this proposed project and permanently protect Oak Flat,\u201d Featherstone, underscoring efforts by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and supporters in  Congress to take further action.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"100%\" height=\"300\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" src=\"https:\/\/w.soundcloud.com\/player\/?url=https%3A\/\/api.soundcloud.com\/playlists\/1010722303&#038;color=%23ff5500&#038;auto_play=false&#038;hide_related=false&#038;show_comments=true&#038;show_user=true&#038;show_reposts=false&#038;show_teaser=true&#038;visual=true\"><\/iframe>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\n Indianz.Com Audio: <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/Audio\/2020\/03\/12\/the_irreparable_environmental.asp>\r\nHouse Subcommittee for Indigenous Peoples of the United States  &#8211; The Irreparable Environmental and Cultural Impacts of the Proposed Resolution Copper Mining Operation &#8211; March 12, 2020<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOak Flat is located within the Tonto National Forest, on <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2015\/01\/13\/white-house-responds-to-petiti.asp>land managed by the federal government<\/a>. Apache people go there to pray, hold ceremonies and gather food.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<a href=https:\/\/resolutioncopper.com\/>Resolution Copper<\/a> is a joint venture of Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, which are foreign-owned corporations   based in the United Kingdom and in Australia. Project backers had welcomed the  Trump era  decision to move forward with the mine.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n\u201cWe are committed to ongoing engagement with Native American tribes and working to seek consent before any decision on the development of the project, consistent with the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.icmm.com\/en-gb\/members\/member-requirements\/position-statements\/indigenous-peoples\">International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) Statement on Indigenous Peoples and Mining<\/a>,\u201d project director Andrew Lye <a href=https:\/\/www.resolutioncopper.com\/press-releases\/2021\/01\/15\/resolution-copper-welcomes-next-phase-in-public-review-and-comment\/>said on January 15<\/a>, just five days before President Joe Biden took office. \r\n<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">We&#39;re so pleased to announce that we will be able to maintain public access to areas within Oak Flat, including the campground, upon completion of a federal land exchange. The campground will operate in line with current Tonto National Forest practices. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/u8opUuMgLI\">https:\/\/t.co\/u8opUuMgLI<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/k4Wvyp2IkS\">pic.twitter.com\/k4Wvyp2IkS<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Resolution Copper (@resolutioncu) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/resolutioncu\/status\/1365020581893050369?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 25, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nAt the time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/resolutioncopper\/posts\/10159199701000148\">Resolution Copper anticipated the land swap<\/a> to occur in March. The transfer of federal property to the foreign corporations is currently off the table with the Biden administration&#8217;s action on Monday, pending further decisions that the Forest Service said could be &#8220;several months&#8221; away.\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<div class=\"h5-responsive sub\">Resolution Copper Project and Land Exchange Environmental Impact Statement<\/div>\r\nThe U.S. Forest Service posted the following &#8220;project update&#8221; on March 1, 2021, in connection with the proposed copper mine at Oak Flat, a sacred Apache site in Arizona.\r\n<P><\/p>\r\n<div class=mx-4>\r\nOn January 15, 2021, the Tonto National Forest released the Resolution Copper Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) for objection. In the time since these documents were released, the Agency and Department have received significant input from collaborators, partners, and the public through a variety of means. Today, USDA directed the Forest Service to withdraw the Notice of Availability and rescind the Final Environmental Impact Statement and draft Record of Decision. The pre-decisional objection period will be halted as well.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nThe project is proposed on Oak Flat, a site sacred to numerous Federally Recognized Tribes in the Southwest. The Department is taking this step to provide an opportunity for the agency to conduct a thorough review based on significant input received from collaborators, partners, and the public since these documents were released. The recent Presidential Memorandum on tribal consultation and strengthening nation to nation relationships counsels in favor of ensuring the Forest Service has complied with the environmental, cultural, and archaeological analyses required. USDA has concluded that additional time is necessary to fully understand concerns raised by Tribes and the public and the project\u2019s impacts to these important resources and ensure the agency\u2019s compliance with federal law. USDA and the Forest Service also understand that under federal law that the Forest Service has limited discretion related to protection of Oak Flat. Because the Resolution Copper Mine and Land Exchange Project was directed under the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, long term protection of the site will likely require an act of Congress. USDA and the Forest Service cannot give a precise length of time for completing the re-initiation of consultation but consultations such as this generally take several months.\r\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Just days after asking a federal judge to stop a huge copper mine on sacred territory, the San Carlos Apache Tribe is celebrating the Biden administration\u2019s decision to pull back the controversial development.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8436,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,11,20,13,1,14],"tags":[869,42,991,157,88,94,118,75,159,49,48,72,892,1122,1072,126,43,597,598,1235,556,474],"class_list":["post-8429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-environment","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-117th","tag-arizona","tag-bernie-sanders","tag-consultation","tag-deb-haaland","tag-democrats","tag-doi","tag-donald-trump","tag-eis","tag-hnrc","tag-house","tag-judiciary","tag-mining","tag-naelyn-pike","tag-oak-flat","tag-raul-grijalva","tag-sacred-sites","tag-san-carlos-apache","tag-terry-rambler","tag-tom-vilsack","tag-usda","tag-usfs","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/01\/oakflat-scaled.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-2bX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8436"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}