On April 17, 2025, the U.S. government announced its intent to fast-track the transfer of Oak Flat, a federally protected site within the Tonto National Forest, to Resolution Copper—a multinational mining company jointly owned by Rio Tinto and BHP. The company plans to extract copper using a method called block caving, which will cause the surface to collapse, forming a sinkhole approximately two miles wide and 1,000 feet deep, permanently obliterating the Oak Flat area.

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Oak Flat—Chi’chil Biłdagoteel to the Apache—is sacred land. For generations, the Western Apache and other Indigenous peoples have conducted ceremonies, gathered medicinal plants, and honored their ancestors at this holy site. It is a place of deep spiritual significance—home to ancient oak groves, natural springs, and burial grounds—that cannot simply be relocated or replaced.

In defense of this sacred land, Apache Stronghold—a nonprofit alliance of Apache individuals, tribal nations, and allies—filed a petition for review with the U.S. Supreme Court on September 11, 2024. The petition challenges a Ninth Circuit decision allowing the land transfer to proceed. On October 15, 2024, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), in partnership with the Mennonite Church USA and the Lipan Apache Church, filed an amicus curiae brief in support of Apache Stronghold. The brief argues that the destruction of Oak Flat would impose a “substantial burden on religious exercise,” violating the constitutional right to freedom of religion.

Despite public outcry, legal challenges, and the site's recognized religious importance, the project is being advanced under a land exchange provision quietly inserted into the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act—a deal made without full and fair consultation with Indigenous communities. Now, under a court-ordered timeline, the U.S. Forest Service may finalize the land transfer within 60 days of publishing its Final Environmental Impact Statement—unless the Supreme Court intervenes.

Amid rising calls for domestic resource independence, a troubling contradiction emerges: Rio Tinto is partially owned by Chinese investors, meaning a Chinese-linked corporation could gain control of U.S. public lands and critical minerals—during an active trade war with China. While the federal government claims such projects are necessary to secure national interests, it is paradoxically allowing foreign-owned companies to profit from resources held in trust for the American public.

This situation sets a dangerous precedent: it prioritizes private, multinational profits over Indigenous sovereignty,public stewardship, and the long-term health of our environment. It also reveals the hypocrisy of resource policy that purports to reduce foreign dependence while enabling foreign ownership of American mineral wealth.

The land transfer of Oak Flat was approved without the free, prior, and informed consent of the Indigenous peoples to whom this land is sacred. This violates international human rights standards—particularly the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples—and undermines core principles of justice and self-determination. Upholding Free, Prior, and Informed Consent is not just a procedural step; it is a moral imperative rooted in honoring the sovereignty, dignity, and spiritual lifeways of Indigenous nations.

As Presbyterians, we are called to be peacemakers, seekers of justice, and neighbors in right relationship—especially with Indigenous peoples whose lands and traditions have long been dismissed, demonized, and desecrated.

In this spirit, we affirm a sacred truth: land is not a commodity to be bought, sold, or destroyed—it is part of a covenantal relationship entrusted to humanity by God. At Oak Flat, that covenant is under threat. As mining interests press forward, we are called to listen deeply, stand in solidarity, and raise our voices in defense of Creation and Indigenous spiritual lifeways.

Let us walk humbly with our Indigenous siblings and faithfully respond to God’s call for justice.

Watch this video to learn more about what is at stake.

To learn more about how Presbyterians are taking action globally in partnership with affected communities, and to join ongoing efforts like this, we invite you to connect with the Global Solidarity Collective, a movement of faith-rooted justice, accompaniment, and shared witness.