2023 spring

American youth are approaching the issue of government responsibility for climate destruction from several angles. These innovative approaches might provide an avenue to holding the government accountable through judicial review in the absence of the United States’ involvement in international environmental law.

Amid the national commentary surrounding proposals contained in the Bureau of Reclamation’s 476-page Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS)—there are four concepts to remember regarding its role in the future of the Colorado River.

Last month, both the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Arizona Court of Appeals issued decisions that continue to delay the development of a copper mine on the Tonto National Forest. The mine would provide significant economic benefits to Superior, the town closest to the proposed mine that was founded as a mining town for silver and eventually copper deposits. The proposed location of the mine is known as Oak Flat, or Chi’chil Biłdagoteel in Western Apache, and contains spiritual sites that are sacred to Apache and other Arizona tribes. The mine proposal has been plagued with questions about both land rights and environmental impact.