Credit Dean Swope / KYUK On May 27, the commissioner for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) chose to uphold a key state water quality certificate for the proposed Donlin Gold mine. The decision comes after an administrative law judge recommended that the DEC should not uphold the certificate in April. In August 2018, the DEC issued a "certificate of reasonable assurance” to Donlin Gold that said that the state had reasonable assurance that the company's operations would comply with state water quality standards. The Army Corps of Engineers required the certificate before it issued its federal one. The Orutsararmiut Native Council challenged the certificate, and passed a resolution opposing the mine.