Indigenous sacred sites threatened by copper mine development.

The Biden administration is defending a mining project that will destroy a sacred Apache religious site, Chi’chil Biłdagoteel, also known as Oak Flat, to build one of the largest copper mines in the world. The project has been controversial since it was added as a rider to a defense authorization bill in 2014, and the San Carlos Apache have been fighting it ever since. The project hinges on the destruction of Oak Flat, which is considered a holy site by many Native American tribes. The Forest Service is nearing completion of an environmental impact study, and the initiation of construction depends on its publication. The case is being heard by an 11-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and the Biden administration has confirmed that it is moving forward with the project.