Teller pressed Graphite One on subsistence risks at the Graphite Creek mine

Teller residents pressed Graphite One Inc. representatives at a June 2026 public meeting on risks to caribou, fish, and marine mammals that underpin village food security. Community members raised concerns about spill response, dust and mine traffic in traditional harvesting areas, and how local hiring and revenue-sharing commitments would be enforced rather than promised. The company met privately with Native entities before opening the floor to the public — a sequencing that itself drew scrutiny.

The proposed Graphite Creek mine sits on the northern slopes of the Kigluaik Mountains near the Imuruk Basin on the Seward Peninsula. The federal government has designated it a critical minerals project; graphite is used in lithium-ion batteries, and the deposit is the most significant in the United States.

Multiple Native entities hold stake in the region on different terms. Bering Straits Native Corporation, the ANCSA regional corporation for the area, has a documented relationship with Graphite One including past memoranda and benefit-sharing discussions. Village corporations and federally recognized tribes in the area — including the Native Village of Teller and Mary's Igloo — have variously raised subsistence concerns or engaged in negotiations on revenue and employment. Kawerak Inc., the regional Native nonprofit consortium, has historically advocated for subsistence protection in regional development decisions.

Graphite One states its project is designed to avoid, minimize, and mitigate impacts to aquatic resources and fish and wildlife habitat. Alaska Community Action on Toxics has challenged the critical-minerals framing and argued that any new mining must center Indigenous Free, Prior, and Informed Consent.

Graphite One holds two of the six federal permits required. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing permit POA-2018-00123 covering impacts to over 380 acres of waters and wetlands. Federal tribal consultation requirements apply under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act and NEPA.