San Carlos Apache Tribe suggests plan to mine sacred site is "major human rights violation"

The San Carlos Apache Tribe has taken its fight to the United Nations to save its traditional territory in Arizona from a massive copper mine. Chi’chil Bildagoteel, also known as Oak Flat, is home to one of the largest sources of copper in North America, and it is also the tribe’s most sacred site.

San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler told the U.N. that the destruction of sacred sites is a “major human rights violation,” although he stopped short of describing the plans to mine Oak Flat in those specific terms.

https://grist.org/article/san-carlos-apache-take-copper-mine-fight-to-united-nations/

Appeals court denies timber company lawsuit to negate 2017 expansion of Cascade-Siskiyou NMon

A federal appeals court ruled Monday in a case upholding the expansion of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Southern Oregon and northwest California.

The Oregon-based timber company Murphy sued the federal government over a 2017 expansion of the monument, arguing it interfered with laws requiring the government to set aside land for timber production.

https://www.ijpr.org/environment-energy-and-transportation/2023-04-24/federal-court-affirms-expansion-of-cascade-siskiyou-national-monument

Biden identifies over 110m acres of old-growth or otherwise mature forests for possible protection

The Biden administration on Thursday announced it has identified over 100 million acres of old-growth and mature forests that could qualify for federal protections.

The acreage identified includes 80 million acres of mature forest and 32 million acres of old-growth forest, according to the Interior and Agriculture Departments. Within those, about 24.4 million acres of old growth forest and 67.4 million acres of mature forest are under the jurisdiction of the National Forest Service.

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/3961403-biden-administration-takes-first-step-to-protect-over-100-million-acres-of-forest/