Tribal commission worries about British Columbia’s mining regulations; mine company states they operate sustainably
Red Chris Mine sits 25 miles from Alaska’s border in the Stikine River Watershed. It has operated for a decade, but its ownership changed two years ago. Before the new company, Newmont, bought the mine, conservation scientists conducted research over a seven year span. Newmont has made some environmental adjustments since they acquired the mine in 2023. But they are also hoping to expand the copper and gold mine, which is already bigger than Wrangell Island. That’s even after an environmental report was published last month. It shows heavy metals have leached into a transboundary Alaska and British Columbia watershed. Communities downstream of the Stikine River are concerned about this, including Wrangell’s tribal government, the Wrangell Cooperative Association.
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