Posted on 02/26/2011 8:49:52 PM PST by ASOC
Chickaloon Native Village, a federally-recognized Athabascan Indian Tribal government in Alaska, filed a communication to the United Nations Independent Expert on the human right to water and sanitation in conjunction with her first official visit to the United States, which began today.
Chickaloon Village’s submission asserts that the new open-pit coal strip mine in its traditional territory proposed by the Usibelli Corporation would contaminate local drinking water sources as well as rivers, streams and groundwater that support salmon, moose and other animals and plants vital for subsistence, religious and cultural practices. The US Federal Government and the State of Alaska have, to date, not responded to Chickaloon’s firmly-stated opposition to the mine.
There are a substntial number of others (whites) in the Valley area opposed to the mining, which will take place in/on/around an old Navy coal mine.
The developer is Alaskan, the battle lines are drawn.
I chose this site/URL as there are no restrictions, if you bother to look at local news sites, you might find the comments both unsypathic to the Natives and intersting in thier content.
I am not a fan of coal, but this is to be sold out of country AFIK. So, rather than take their case to the local court, state court, to the DNR (state agency) they go right to the UN as an oppressed minority.
Words fail me.
Oh, the developer has all the required permits, leases, and has followed the state and federal law to the T.
It will be interesting to see how this turns out.
ping....
And while we're at it, Congressman Wu needs to move to Chuckanut Bay.
Coal mining is a dirty business, and quite unsafe — as New Zealand found out tragically, just before Christmas, at the Pike River mine.
Bleeding-edge environmentally-friendly mine, apparently. Big methane explosion. 29 men buried. After many days of frantic rescue effort, the mine was sealed.
If a savage wants salmon, let ‘em buy it like others do.
If they want to catch a wild salmon, let ‘em hire a guide and pay like the rest of us do.
I am more than tired of the entitlement mentality snivellers trying to destroy America’s economy.
Must be serious, they have a website and everything.
http://www.chickaloon.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124&Itemid=129
I am not saying they don't have a point. I am saying they have plentiful avenues for pushing their complaint other than the UN. : b
Must be serious, they have a website and everything.
http://www.chickaloon.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=124&Itemid=129
I am not saying they don't have a point. I am saying they have plentiful avenues for pushing their complaint other than the UN. : b
I wonder how much illegal money is being siphoned into the UN?
OPen pit mine.
The stream in question is NOT open for fishing. The stream was reclaimed by use of US Fish & Wildlife funds, not out of the village pocket as they would have you believe.
They are not savages, but did go to US schools.....
“They are not savages, but did go to US schools.....”
That, alone, would be enough to qualify them as dangerous to the Republic. Look at what slouches across the stage at graduation time at your local publik skools.
;-(
They should mine it for all it’s worth, this isn’t the only great coal find in Alaska.
Do not know if Libya's representative on the UNHRC still holds position, but that situation kind of demonstrates what the un is good for.
These bitches will watch a member state machine gun down peaceful protesting citizens from their respective states with armor or aireal platforms...
Then condemn Israel for whatever.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. I lived just a few miles downstream from the Chickaloon People’s Commune, and generally found that many people in that community treated outsiders with derision - a fancy of way of saying that they were anti-white racists - and walked around slumped to one side from the enormous chips on their shoulders. You may not know this, but everything in “their” country was a Edenic paradise until the arrival of disease-ridden, foolish, industrial-living “white people” who are supposedly out of touch with the potent spirits of Mother Earth. The Chickaloon community would be quite distressed to learn that they’re actually fully Americanized, as shown by their reliance on faux racial and political posturing and the overuse of nuisance lawsuits. Yawn.
They must be on board the democrat Treason Train..
I remember many years back when he didn't vote with all the other tribal leaders when Phony Tony had this deal giving the 6 villages 20 million to get them to give up their sovereignty claims. Had to be 100% agreement or money didn't happen. Gary stood up and announced his vote couldn't be bought for 20 mill or 200 mill and I watched it live on tv, about fell out; he gets serious about what he believes in. I would have been shoving that 20 mill in my pockets, ha.
He was also all involved with Yukon River salmon run problems and was going from village to village setting up local watch groups to report on what they were experiencing. Also tied up with international enviro groups. So anyway, I get this call from friends up river in Dawson; they told Gary I lived downriver nx village and he said he knew me. Gary and several Euro friends ended up staying over at our place. I took them out Indian Village, introduced them to everybody. Big birthday party, only people there not drinking; Gary & I. So like 2 in morning, drinking coffee at house, I was telling the story to the Euros about Gary turning down the 20 mill and how it somewhat impressed me. Gary said that he had stopped the younger village members from voting to sell tribal land and that was more important to him than that 20 mill, ha. Like I said, I don't agree with him, but respect him.
Ya know, I never felt any racism down there, but like all those people too; so I don't argue with them about their at times enviro craziness, usually nothing comes out of it.
They have been to the world court in the past over various issues, gets legislators attention if nothing else, ha ha.
Hope ya got a little harr out of the story.
For a moment I thought this was going to be about Chilkoot Charlie's kick-off to Fur Rondy.
(thread hijack is now over, we return to our regularly scheduled programing)
***Chickaloon Village’s submission asserts that the new open-pit coal strip mine in its traditional territory property....would contaminate local drinking water sources as well as rivers, streams and groundwater ..... religious and cultural practices.***
The Navajos , another Athabascan Indian group in Arizona, claimed the same thing many years ago (Really, I believe it was greenies from the 1960s trying to stop the mine that claiming that).
The mine at Coal Canyon still went into production and many Navajos hired on and had a great life working at the mine which fed slurry coal to California coal fired plants.
Then not long ago the greenies managed to get the California power plants to cease operation and the Az mine closed, throwing those same Navajos out of work, and boy did the Indians scream about being out of work!
Same place, different perspectives. Interesting how the world works. I worked in Sutton for a while, too, about 15 years ago. You’re right in that all of us are capable of redemption, and there is good in most of us. Maybe the closeness of Anchorage and the Mat-Su gave the folks I ran into a little edginess.
Out here along the middle Yukon I’ve felt a much better ambiance in the community. Not perfect, but no place is. My best recommendation is that we’re raising our son here.
Anyway, you be well, buddy. It’s -26 degrees this morning, but the sun’s coming up right now. So things are good.
Like “Massachusetts,” “Chikaloon” is an Indian word. I’m sure the Athabaskans of the area around Chikaloon would be very happy to explain it to you.
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