The US Congress has approved the mining of the ancient San Carlos Apache sacred grounds known as Oak Flat, east of Phoenix, Arizona. Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake, Republicans of Arizona, slipped the deal into the Defense spending bill at the last minute, avoiding public scrutiny.
Rio Tinto, the Australian mining concern, will take possession of the land and turn it into a 2-mile crater.
This land was first protected by Dwight Eisenhower in 1955, and the protection was extended by Ronald Reagan in 1971. We respectfully ask that President Obama take steps to permanently preserve the special status of this Native American holy site.