Stand with Mother Kuskokwim, comments due April 28

by | Apr 10, 2025

The Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition logo features a woman looking to the left with flowing brown hair and salmon swimming in the ribbons of her hair. Above her are green trees and below her is a banner that reads: No Donlin - Protect Mother Kuskokwim

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers just issued several revised public notices for the proposed Bethel Yard Dock expansion, acknowledging for the first time that the primary purpose of the expansion is to serve the proposed Donlin Gold Mine.

The Bethel Yard Dock is necessary for the Donlin Mine to move forward—it would support temporary storage and transportation of fuel and cargo, as well as transfer of materials between ocean and river barges. The dock construction proposes to fill three acres of the Kuskokwim River to install over 1,000 feet of sheet-pile bulkhead and rip rap, requiring additional Clean Water Act 404 permitting.

The Mother Kuskokwim Tribal Coalition has been fighting the Donlin Mine to protect their homelands, waters, fish, and community health. You can learn more about their concerns related to the project at their website and consider the talking points below when submitting comments, which are due April 28.

  • Before issuing a permit for the Bethel Yard Dock expansion, the U.S. Army Corps should conduct tribal consultation and obtain the free, prior, and informed consent of local Tribes.
  • The Corps must require sufficient compensatory mitigation for the three acres of the Kuskokwim River habitat that would be lost to the dock expansion.
  • The Corps must conduct a thorough environmental analysis. This must include considerations for impacts to salmon populations on the Kuskokwim River, especially in light of recent salmon population crashes.
  • Previous comments on permits for the project have clearly demonstrated the negative impacts of the overall project, including impacts to subsistence resources and uses, navigation, and increased erosion. Public interest weighs strongly against issuing a permit.

For more information please contact Carolyn Farmer at (561) 785-5634, or via email at carolyn.h.farmer@usace.army.mil.

To submit your comments, email: carolyn.h.farmer@usace.army.mil or regpagemaster@usace.army.mil, referencing public notice #POA-2014-00064.

You can also submit comments via mail:
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Alaska District
Regulatory Division / CEPOA-RD
P.O. Box 6898
JBER, AK 99506-0898