- Details
- By Chez Oxendine
- Energy | Environment
A coalition of environmental groups and a tribal government sued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers over a permit allowing mineral exploration on Alaska’s Johnson Tract, arguing the agency failed to adequately assess environmental impacts.
The permit, issued to Contango ORE Inc., authorizes construction projects that include an expanded airstrip, new access road, and tunnel excavation designed to support mining activities. The plaintiffs — including the Chickaloon Village Traditional Council, nonprofit Cook Inletkeeper, the Center for Biological Diversity, and a Soldotna, Alaska resident — say the permit violates federal environmental standards.
Cook Inletkeeper Clean Water Lead Satchel Pondolfino said existing environmental assessments on the inlet were insufficient, according to the Alaska Beacon.
“The Johnson River supports an ecosystem rich with salmon, herring, wolves, wolverines and iconic Alaskan brown bears, which are becoming scarcer as [the inlet] becomes more industrialized,” Pondolfino said in a statement. “What’s at risk is one of the most ecologically rich corners of [the inlet] and the Army Corps has a duty to carefully scrutinize all implications of this permit.”
The Johnson Tract covers 21,000 acres within the boundaries of Lake Clark National Park near the headwaters of the Johnson River. The river drains into Cook Inlet, part of a coastal ecosystem that supports numerous species.
Cook Inlet Region Inc., an Alaska Native corporation, owns the tract after acquiring it under the Cook Inlet Land Exchange of 1976. The ANC has leased the land for mining exploration over the years, according to the lawsuit.
In 2019, it leased the tract to Vancouver-based HighGold Mining Inc. Contango ORE Inc., which later took over exploration operations. Contango believes the tract contains significant amounts of gold, silver, copper, zinc, and lead.
The lawsuit argues the permit ignores potential environmental impacts. The groups claim the Army failed to sufficiently assess the negative effects of construction, including increased aircraft and vessel noise and the risk of acid rock drainage contaminating local waterways.
The oversights threaten the ecosystem and culturally significant resources for local communities, the plaintiffs allege.
Tuxedni Bay, located near the tract, provides a critical habitat for the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale. The bay’s quiet waters serve as a foraging ground during the winter months and have so far provided a “haven from the industrial noise pervasive in other parts of the inlet,” according to the lawsuit.
The groups argue the expansion of mining activities would disrupt the delicate balance of this habitat, potentially affecting the communication, navigation, and feeding behaviors of noise-sensitive belugas as well as other local wildlife such as salmon, herring, brown bears, wolves, and a host of seabirds.
The plaintiff group maintains that a comprehensive environmental impact review was never conducted. They argue that the permitting process should have adhered more rigorously to the mandates of the National Environmental Policy Act, the Clean Water Act, and the Endangered Species Act.
