SCOTUS Okays Mine on Sacred Ground, Burgum Rewrites History

This week on The Wild Line, despite Congress being on recess, the hits keep coming for public lands, tribal sovereignty, and environmental protections.

Supreme Court Decisions with Big Impacts

The Court declined to hear Apache Stronghold’s appeal, clearing the way for the controversial Resolution Copper Mine at Oak Flat, land sacred to the San Carlos Apache.

Valerie Grussing of the National Association of Tribal Historic Preservation Officers called the decision “a gut punch” to Indigenous religious freedom, adding that the amicus brief filed in support was “the most elegant, compelling statement I’ve read regarding land-based religions.”
Apache Stronghold argued the mine would violate religious freedom and treaty rights. In their words:

“This is not just about land. This is about our ability to pray, to hold ceremony, to connect with our ancestors. When you destroy Oak Flat, you destroy a church—our church.”

In a separate ruling, the Court narrowed NEPA’s reach, favoring a crude oil rail project in Utah’s Uinta Basin. This sets a troubling precedent for environmental reviews of future infrastructure on public lands.

Interior Department Power Struggles

Politico reports that BLM Deputy Director Mike Nedd was escorted out after resisting political directives from Interior brass.

Secretary Doug Burgum’s Order 3431, Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History, directs land management agencies to purge interpretive materials that “inappropriately disparage” American history, targeting references to colonialism, slavery, climate change, and more. Grussing: “It’s not inappropriately disparaging Americans to tell the actual truth.”

Looking Ahead: Legislation & Nominations

Congress returns next week to take up key public lands issues:

• Reintroduction of the Roadless Area Conservation Act.
• Hearings on USDA Undersecretary nominee Michael Borren, whose own record on public lands is already under scrutiny.
• Debate over a reconciliation bill with so-called “pay-to-play” provisions that weaken the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).

Feature: NEPA Under Threat
Sam Evans of the Southern Environmental Law Center unpacks language that allows polluters to fast-track their projects for a fee:

“If the agency does a really bad job, you’re out of luck. That’s all NEPA is—giving the public a voice when agencies get it wrong.”

Next Week on The Wild Idea:

Tuesday, June 3rd, we talk with evolutionary ecologist Andis Arietta on ecological changes over space and time, and a host of other issues. 

Friday, June 6th, your weekly Wild Line – a no-BS rundown of what’s happening in Washington that impacts public lands, climate, and conservation. Fast, focused, and fiercely pro-wild.

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