Friend — President Biden recently protected nearly a million acres around the Grand Canyon from uranium mining. His bold action sent a clear message : Some places are too precious and too sacred to go unprotected.
That ethos should include places like Oak Flat, also known as the Chí’chil Biłdagoteel Historic District of Arizona, which today remains vulnerable to destruction. Rio Tinto, a foreign mining conglomerate notorious for destroying other environmental and cultural sites, would strip mine Oak Flat for copper.
Unfortunately, a midnight rider in a 2015 defense bill bars the president from protecting Oak Flat with the same authority used to safeguard sites like Olympic National Park, Bears Ears National Monument, and just last month, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument.
The good news ? There’s more than one way to #SaveOakFlat. Earlier this year, Rep. Raul Grijalva introduced the Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Act to reverse the land transfer and permanently protect the area.
So far, the pressure of tens of thousands of activists (that’s YOU) and local Indigenous partners has paused the mining project from moving forward. It’s gained us precious time to deepen our work to ensure Oak Flat remains sacred and pristine for generations to come. Today, we need your help to move us closer toward that vision.
| ACT NOW |
Oak Flat doesn't have the luxury of time. Rio Tinto — a UK-Australian mining company notorious for polluting Papua New Guinea, causing an environmental disaster in Brazil that left 19 dead, and blowing up Juukan Gorge, a treasured 46,000-year-old Aboriginal site — is seeking approval to carve out a massive copper mine that will create a crater nearly two miles wide and over a thousand feet deep.
So far, the pressure of tens of thousands of activists and local Indigenous partners is working. Earlier this summer, the publication of a Final Environmental Impact Statement from USDA, a key step that would move the transfer forward, was delayed.
It’s a huge win, but the troubling reality is that ALL this critical progress could be lost with the stroke of a pen — and we’re not about to let that happen.
Congress can save this sacred land, protect the streams that run through it from pollution, and defend the habitats of countless plants and animals. That’s why, as we keep pushing the Biden administration, it’s time to turn this fight to the Hill, too.
Every voice that cheered for the Grand Canyon must now rise louder and fiercer to call to pass the Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Act. Can we count on you to speak out now ?
Send a direct message to Rep. Fallon and tell him to #SaveOakFlat today.
For too long, U.S. policy — foreign and domestic — has exploited Indigenous people and their lands. It happened when the United States waged an all-out war on Native peoples across the country. It happened when the government instigated coups that repressed Indigenous communities in Latin America. And it’s happening right now as areas like Oak Flat remain vulnerable to destruction.
But together, we can make a difference. Together, we can win this fight. Together, we can #SaveOakFlat. Because when we join together, we are unstoppable.
Thank you for working for peace,
Shayna, Raimy, Shahed, and the Win Without War team.
| Donate |
| A U.S. foreign policy rooted in human rights and justice won’t happen overnight. If you’re with us for the long haul, consider a monthly donation. |
| Win Without War is a 501(c)4 organization and donations are not tax deductible. If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution, please visit the Win Without War Education Fund here. |
 |
 |
 |
© Win Without War 2021
1 Thomas Circle NW, Suite 700, Washington, DC 20005
(202) 656-4999 | info@winwithoutwar.org
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire