In the 11th Hour Court Halts Copper Mine from Desecrating Native American Tribes’ Ancestral Grounds. (2019, August 27). Retrieved from https://earthjustice.org/news/press/2019/court-halts-copper-mine-from-desecrating-native-american-tribes-ancestral-grounds.

 

In late August, federal courts ruled the last minute that a copper mine could not be established on important native grounds. The ruling came after the US National Forest Service approved the plans for the mine despite the fact that it would disrupt sacred springs, ancestral burial grounds, and much more. This decision by the US National Forest Service was made “without any basis of fact or law” because of the example set by the Trump administration’s rollbacks and disregard of environmental regulations.

 

The copper mine in question was planned to be the third-largest in the United States, bringing in quick profits, and therefore received special treatment. Because they were blinded by money, an arm of the United States government neglected not only important environmental consequences but the very real cultural significance of the land it was on. This is upsetting because it suggests that our government can be bought, even when it comes to land that is important both environmentally and culturally.