DEC denies tribe's request for IPOP hearing
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation on Monday denied a request for a public hearing on the state permit it is considering issuing to IPOP LLC.
The Village of Solomon tribal government had been requesting a public meeting and hearing about the controversial project to dredge for gold in Bonanza Channel near Solomon.
Before it begins operations, IPOP must obtain a discharge permit from the Department of Environmental Conservation, or DEC, to be in compliance with the Clean Water Act. The draft for that DEC permit was published in late June, and the public has until this coming Monday, Aug. 5, to submit written comments about the project.
A public meeting would have allowed the public to ask the DEC questions about the permit and process before testifying in a hearing in person, said Delilah Johnson, the Village of Solomon’s tribal resources director. She was hopeful that such a forum would be granted, given the high level of public interest in the project. In its own guidelines, the DEC says it will “hold a public hearing whenever DEC finds, on the basis of requests, a significant degree of public interest in a draft permit.” However, Johnson said representatives from the DEC went silent in their communications with the tribe the week of July 10.
“I feel as though they are avoiding the tribe,” Johnson said on Monday afternoon.
Hours later, the tribe received a response. DEC Program Manager Jim Rypkema sent a letter addressed to Village of Solomon President Kirsten Timbers saying that the department had denied the request for a formal hearing. Instead, the DEC said it would hold an informational virtual meeting via phone and Microsoft Teams on Thursday, Aug. 1, at 2 pm.
“Thank you for your request for public meeting and hearing regarding the notice of proposed issuance of an Alaska Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (APDES) individual permit for AK0062295 – Bonanza Channel Placer – IPOP LLC,” Rypkema said in the letter. “Prior to the public notice, on June 28, 2024, DEC previously held an informational meeting with Village of Solomon staff (Deilah Johnson) to answer any questions and concerns at that time. The Department in its discretion has determined to not hold a public hearing but will offer an informational meeting via MS Teams.”
Kelly Rawalt, a public information officer with the DEC, told the Nugget that the objective of this meeting would be to offer a “public dialogue” about the permit and answer questions about the process.
“A public hearing typically only involves one-way communication where the Department formally records public input in the administrative record for the permit,” Rawalt said in an email on Tuesday. “In an effort to better meet the request, the Department is offering an informational meeting where there is an open pathway for two-way communication.”
IPOP’s project has generated widespread local interest—and opposition over fears that the Nevada-based company’s mining plan would harm the estuary ecosystem of Bonanza Channel and Safety Sound.
Earlier this year, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers gave IPOP the federal approval needed to start its project, reversing a previous decision that denied the company a permit. The Army Corps gave little explanation as to why it changed course.
In April, Kawerak, Bering Straits Native Corporation, Sitnasuak Native Corporation and Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation all joined the Village of Solomon in signing a letter that calls for the Corps of Engineers to reverse its latest decision.
In May, the City of Nome’s Common Council joined that opposition, too; it passed a motion to oppose the state permits under consideration for IPOP. In last week’s council meeting, the council directed the Mayor to send comments to DEC and to request a public hearing.
The Village of Solomon leadership has repeatedly voiced concerns about the process of dealing with federal—and now state agencies—who are supposed to engage with the public and tribal governments on projects such as IPOP.
“The whole process over the last five, six years has felt upside down and in a lot of ways very unequal,” Johnson said.
Those who would like to join the meeting on Thursday can dial in by phone: +1 907-202-7104, phone conference ID: 459 089 396#. They can also sign in to the meeting via Microsoft Teams: Meeting ID: 218 745 444 644, Passcode: z7brxV