Calista Corporation June 2024 Statement on Proposed Donlin Gold Project

Subsistence and Responsible Development Complement Each Other

June 24, 2024

(Anchorage, Alaska) – Calista Corporation does not comment on pending litigation. Here is some background information.

Formed under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), Calista is dedicated to promoting the economic well-being of our Alaska Native Shareholders, many of whom are also Tribal members. Each of our board directors are also Tribal members. With any potential resource development, Calista’s priority is subsistence. Alaska’s decades of experience in responsible resource development proves that thoughtful development supports subsistence activities. That is the primary reason why, once Crooked Creek Tribal leaders selected the lands near their homes for potential development, Calista leaders took the long approach and waited about 20 years before signing any exploration agreements.

Calista has worked with Donlin for over 20 years to develop the Donlin project in a way that ensures it will not impair our environment or subsistence way of life. Together, Calista staff and the Alaska Native people of the Y-K Region share deeply held, generational values of respect and stewardship for the environment and the renewable natural resources of the area. As the steward of the mineral resources for the Y-K Region, it has always been Calista’s priority to balance economic development needs with environmental protection and the preservation of subsistence practices. For these reasons, Calista has worked collaboratively with Donlin and The Kuskokwim Corporation in the planning and design of the Donlin project to ensure there are appropriate protections and well-defined mechanisms in place for dialogue and to provide adaptive management processes in Project implementation.

Calista respects our Tribes. We live the same values with respect to ensuring protections for the resources, especially salmon, that are the foundation of our traditional subsistence way of life. This is why we are committed to ensuring that the Donlin project is implemented in a way that does not compromise our environment or our subsistence-based way of life.

The Y-K Region is a remote part of western Alaska where there are few economic opportunities, and the cost of living is very high. For example, the Y-K Region has some of the highest fuel costs in the country, and many communities are dependent on fuel because they lack reliable access to the electrical grid. In fact, regional villages continue to experience severe power grid failures and multi-day disruptions.

Unemployment rates are among the highest in the state, while per capita incomes are among the lowest. Many people in the Region engage in subsistence practices, such as fishing and hunting along the Kuskokwim River, but even that is becoming unsustainable as the cost of equipment and supplies becomes prohibitive. Many people are therefore left unable to find economic opportunities or provide for themselves or their families through subsistence.

Consistent with the vision and wisdom of our Elders, the Donlin project will provide tremendous benefits to all Alaska Native people. Our Shareholders will receive direct economic benefits from the revenues of the project, including distributions, jobs, education benefits, Elder benefits, and improved infrastructure to lower the cost of living.

The Shareholders of other ANCSA corporations will also benefit under sections 7(i) and 7(j) of ANCSA, which mandates that 70 percent of natural resource revenues received by Calista from the project be divided among the other regional corporations. Finally, above and beyond ANCSA, the project will provide new jobs in the Region for years to come, inject significant funds into the local economy that will help other businesses succeed, and lead to robust infrastructure improvements that are much needed in our remote area of western Alaska.

The Donlin project has undergone a thorough review and approval process, including with Calista. The EIS and the permit were the culmination of this extensive process, which involved significant input from Calista and our Shareholders, other ANCs, Tribes, communities, and other in-region stakeholders. This process continues with the State of Alaska’s permitting of the Donlin project. This process has ensured the project will avoid impacts to the utmost extent possible, and will include extensive oversight, monitoring, adaptive management, and mitigation measures.

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Calista Corporation has over 37,300 Shareholders and is the parent company of more than 30 subsidiaries in the following industries: defense contracting, construction, real estate, environmental services, natural resource development, marine transportation, oilfield services, and heavy equipment sales, service and rentals. Since 1994, Calista has provided more than $6.4 million in scholarships to its Shareholders and Descendants. Since inception, Calista has declared more than $141.6 million in dividends and distributions, including $11.3 million in Elders’ Benefit Program distributions to Shareholders. Calista can be found on Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.