Native American-Owned Entities Sue Biden Admin Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Decision To Kill Alaska Mining Project

Two organizations owned primarily by Native Americans are suing the Biden administration for its move to effectively kill a mining project in Alaska.

Iliamna Natives Limited and the Alaska Peninsula Corporation, two organizations that predominantly represent small Native American communities in Alaska, filed a lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Monday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska. The lawsuit alleges that the EPA overstepped its authority with its January 2023 final decision to essentially kill the Pebble Mine project on the grounds that the development would cause unacceptable damage to the region’s salmon population.

The EPA used the Clean Water Act to substantiate its decision, which was met with approval from environmentalist organizations staunchly opposed to the mine’s presence in the state’s Bristol Bay area. The agency specifically used language in the Clean Water Act that allows the EPA to exercise “veto authority” to effectively kill the project, which it has only invoked three times over the past three decades, according to Alaska Public Media.