San Carlos Apache Tribal Chairman Terry Rambler said today’s passage of the Save Oak Flat Act by the House Natural Resources Committee marks a major milestone in the tribe’s sevenyear effort to preserve Western Apache sacred grounds at Chí’chil Biłdagoteel.
“We now call on the entire U.S. House of Representatives to quickly pass this bill and urge Arizona Senators Krysten Sinema and Mark Kelly to rally behind the legislation that will protect our most sacred lands at Chí’chil Biłdagoteel from destruction by the proposed Resolution copper mine,” Chairman Rambler said.
Rambler said Native American communities across the country and the world are closely monitoring the fate of the legislation which is seen as a litmus test for America’s commitment to protecting indigenous rights and upholding the nation’s trust responsibilities to American Indian tribes.
“Oak Flat is sacred to Apaches and is still a way of life and belief for our people. Tribes are the only United States citizens who lack religious freedom under the First Amendment pursuant to past court cases,” Rambler said. “Oak Flat should have already been protected by the federal government for tribes that have ties to the area. We will continue praying for the religious freedom of our people.”
The San Carlos Apache Tribe is not alone in this monumental effort to achieve religious freedom on behalf of all American Indians, Rambler said.
“My tribe and I extend our heartful gratitude to Natural Resources Committee Chairman Raul Grijalva, DAZ, for sponsoring the bill and working tirelessly to ensure its passage out of committee,” Rambler said.
“We are also grateful for the determined efforts by a broad coalition including the Inter-Tribal Association of Arizona, the National Congress of American Indians, the Apache religious rights activists with Apache Stronghold, environmental and outdoor recreation groups and retired miners and residents in the Superior area who know their future is tied to preserving Chí’chil Biłdagoteel,” Rambler said.
Chí’chil Biłdagoteel, also known as Oak Flat, is located on the Tonto National Forest about 60 miles east of Phoenix. The land is slated to be given to foreign-owned Resolution Copper Company to clear the way for the construction of a massive underground copper mine. The mine would destroy Chí’chil Biłdagoteel, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property.
The Save Oak Flat Act would reverse legislation approved in 2014 when a nongermane amendment was attached to the FY 2015 National Defense Authorization Act mandating that Oak Flat be traded to Resolution once an environmental study was completed regardless of the damage the mine would inflict.
Resolution is owned by multi-national mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP. The land trade would strip Chí’chil Biłdagoteel of federal protections put in place in 1955 by President Dwight Eisenhower that prevent mining.
Download the PDF version of the press release here: