Alaska U.S. Senators Urge Potus To ‘Rein In Large, Risky Canadian (Transboundary) Mines’ (UPDATING)

Alaska’s two U.S. Senators, Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, recently sent a duel letter to the Trump administration to help slow down a series of mining projects in British Columbia, Canada, which could affect salmon runs in transboundary rivers on both sides of the U.S.-Canada border.

Here’s Salmon Beyond Borders with a press release and reaction on the Senators’ pleas:

Alaska Senators urge Trump Admin to ‘use any and all economic and diplomatic tools’ to protect Alaska from Canada’s polluting mines

Salmon Beyond Borders commends letter, which comes as more than 100 Canadian mines are in some stage of development, operation, exploration, or abandonment in transboundary Canada-Alaska rivers

MARCH 3, 2026

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JUNEAU, AK—Salmon Beyond Borders commends Alaska Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan’s urging of Trump cabinet secretaries to rein in the large, risky Canadian mines polluting transboundary salmon rivers flowing from British Columbia into Alaska. In a letter dated February 26, 2026, they call on the Trump Administration to:

–       Demand the cleanup of BC’s Tulsequah Chief Mine and of other abandoned Canadian mines polluting transboundary rivers;

–       Deny Canada US taxpayer investment in its mines and processing facilities until Canada commits to cleaning up those abandoned mine sites;

–       Ensure Canadian transboundary mines post the full amount of money needed for mine cleanup prior to operation, as is done in Alaska; and

–       “Convince your Canadian colleagues to agree to utilize existing or new bilateral frameworks [like the Boundary Waters Treaty and the Pacific Salmon Treaty] to establish robust consultation requirements and a dispute resolution mechanism…for existing and proposed transboundary mines.”

The letter is addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and Secretary of Energy Chris Wright. Additional high-ranking US federal and Alaska State elected leaders and officials are also copied.

“It’s time for the State of Alaska to join the Senators’ call for binding transboundary river protections and real accountability from BC and Canada–before it’s too late,” said Salmon Beyond Borders Director Breanna Walker. “For eight years, the Dunleavy Administration has undermined widespread calls for transboundary river protection from Senators Murkowski and Sullivan, Alaska legislators, municipalities, Tribes, commercial and sport fishermen, tour operators, and thousands of Alaskans. The State is ignoring the fact that just across the border in our transboundary river systems, more than 100 BC mines are in some stage of operation, development, exploration, or abandonment.”

“We appreciate Alaska’s Senators’ longstanding and new requests, which include making sure that Canadian mine polluters pay to clean up their mess instead of going bankrupt and that the US government doesn’t fund any more mines in Canada while Canadian transboundary mines contaminate international salmon rivers,” said Salmon Beyond Borders Advisor Heather Hardcastle. “Several BC mines are polluting transboundary rivers as we speak, and Alaskans are sitting ducks downstream.”

The Alaska congressional delegation has sent roughly a dozen letters in the last dozen years to the administrations of four U.S. presidents asking for the federal government to achieve binding protections for the shared Taku, Stikine, Unuk, and Salmon river valleys. Today, three BC acid-generating, gold-copper mines with tailings dams are operating in the region, and more than100 BC low-grade hardrock mine projects are in some phase of exploration, proposal, or development. A recent report by BC’s Pacific Salmon Foundation warned that Canadian mining pressure along shared rivers could lead to“undocumented extinction” of salmon runs.

Salmon Beyond Borders is an Alaska-based campaign working with fishermen, business owners, community leaders, and concerned citizens, alongside Tribes and First Nations on both sides of the Alaska-B.C. border, to defend and sustain our transboundary wild salmon rivers, jobs, and way of life.

UPDATE

Here’s a statement from the Tlingit & Haida organization

Tlingit & Haida Calls for Binding Protections and Improved Governance in Response to Transboundary Mining Letter

JUNEAU, AK (March 3, 2026) – Tlingit & Haida applauds U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan who sent a letter last week to federal cabinet officials regarding transboundary mining pollution from British Columbia into Alaska. 

Tlingit & Haida appreciates the delegation’s continued attention to the serious and longstanding risks posed by acid-generating mines in Southeast Alaska’s largest salmon producing rivers. For decades, tribes and downstream communities have raised alarm about the contamination of shared watersheds, including the ongoing discharge from the abandoned Tulsequah Chief mine in the Taku River watershed and the risks posed by new large-scale mining projects in British Columbia.

“These rivers are not political chips, they are our homelands,” said Tlingit & Haida President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson. “The traditional homelands and waters of Southeast Alaska sustain salmon, our economies, and way of life. Any solution must include binding, enforceable protections, not voluntary agreements or information-sharing alone.”

While the current memorandum of understanding between the State of Alaska and British Columbia allows for communication, it does not guarantee that U.S. or Tribal concerns will influence permitting decisions across the border or ensure liability. Tlingit & Haida agrees binding mechanisms are necessary, including enforceable cleanup obligations, adequate reclamation bonding, and formal dispute resolution processes under existing treaties.

However, meaningful reform must also include direct and durable Indigenous involvement in governance. Alaska tribes are not stakeholders, they are sovereign governments whose people live downstream and bear the consequences of industry contamination. Indigenous knowledge, monitoring and consultation must be embedded within any framework governing transboundary mining. 

“With British Columbia’s recent move to rewrite its laws in a way that could block U.S. tribes from being recognized as Indigenous sovereign nations, it is more important than ever the federal government uphold its trust responsibility to Tribal Nations. Binding, enforceable international protections, supported by a multinational body with real authority, are necessary to protect downstream communities. Without those safeguards, Alaskans remain at risk,” said Peterson.

Acid-generating mines present long-term risks that extend well beyond the life of the project. Tailings dam failures and perpetual water treatment obligations create intergenerational liabilities. Without enforceable standards and financial assurances that meet or exceed Alaska’s requirements, downstream communities remain vulnerable.

Tlingit & Haida calls on federal officials to:

• Establish binding, enforceable liability protections under existing treaties;
• Require full cleanup of abandoned and polluting mine sites, including Tulsequah Chief;
• Ensure full reclamation bonding and financial assurances for projects near transboundary watersheds are secured to cover worst-case scenarios; and
• Formalize Indigenous government-to-government participation in transboundary mining oversight, monitoring, and dispute resolution.

“Alaskans downstream deserve certainty,” Peterson added. “Our salmon, fisheries, and cultures cannot depend on goodwill alone. We need enforceable protections and a permanent seat at the decision-making table.”

Tlingit & Haida remains committed to working with federal, state, Indigenous, and international partners to safeguard the vitality of our region’s largest salmon producing rivers for generations to come.