The fifteen sovereign nations represented by the Southeast Alaska Indigenous Transboundary Commission (SEITC) passed a July 5, 2022 Resolution (posted below)
urging British Columbia and Alaska to take action on the Taku’s long polluting Tulsequah Chief mine. The Resolution asks the governments “to do everything possible to take over the abandoned Tulsequah Chief mine, close it down, and permanently stop the acid mine drainage.” It also asks them to use their influence to ensure the receivership status of the mine is finally terminated, as BC has said the current bankruptcy status legally limits its ability to aggressively address the mine issue.
BC’s mine remediation planning and initial steps to that end are encouraging, and Alaska’s attention to the issue has been crucial, but things are moving slow and SEITC and others are calling for greater prioritization safeguarding the transboundary region’s top salmon producing river system now.
