Latest news with #ResolutionCopper
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Feds release Oak Flat copper mine review, clearing a hurdle for disputed land exchange
The U.S. Forest Service has released the final environmental review for a huge copper mine proposed 60 miles east of Phoenix, marking one of the final steps toward a controversial land exchange that has been embroiled in legal challenges over its potential damage to land held sacred by Indigenous communities. The document, known as a Final Environmental Impact Statement, is a six-volume review of the proposed Resolution Copper mine at Oak Flat, a parcel of land in the Tonto National Forest. In 2014, Congress approved the land exchange, requiring the federal government to transfer ownership of over 2,400 acres to Resolution Copper, a multinational company, in exchange for over 5,000 acres of ecologically valuable land within Arizona. The law says the trade must occur within 60 days after the publication of a Final Environmental Impact Statement. At over 2,500 pages, the document is at the center of a long legal battle, including two recent lawsuits seeking to stop the transfer of federal land to the multinational mining company, one brought by a coalition of environmental groups and the other by the San Carlos Apache Tribe. Sacred lands: A place of prayer faces obliteration by a copper mine The original environmental impact statement was published in 2021, but was rescinded by President Joe Biden for further tribal consultation. The document will be officially posted in the Federal Register on June 20, initiating the 60-day countdown for the land to be transferred. On June 9, a federal judge in Arizona ruled the Forest Service may not transfer the land until the end of the 60-day period, giving the plaintiff groups time to review the large document. Pending future legal action, the date for the land transfer has been set for August 19. The controversial mine, owned by international conglomerates BHP and Rio Tinto, would extract one of the largest undeveloped copper deposits in the world, and would, the company says, create hundreds of jobs and contribute millions to local, state and national economies. 'This project has undergone one of the most comprehensive environmental and social reviews in U.S. history. The republication of the FEIS reflects the thorough work by the USFS, local communities, and Native American Tribes and the seriousness with which all stakeholders have approached this process,' said Vicky Peacey, general manager of Resolution Copper, in a news release. 'We remain committed to earning trust through transparency, engagement, and responsible development as we move forward,' said Peacey. The mine would also form a crater approximately 2 miles wide and 1,000 feet deep, and destroy Oak Flat, also known as Chi'chil Biłdagoteel, which is held sacred by the San Carlos Apache Tribe and other Indigenous communities and is the site of religious ceremonies. Mining: Why can't the US mine and refine all its copper? What to know about new Trump order Opponents of the mine say the huge project will also destroy rare wetland habitats and deplete ground and surface water. 'We are reviewing the environmental impact statement now, but think it is highly unlikely the Forest Service addressed the significant issues with the prior document or corrected its deficiencies,' said Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon chapter, one of the groups involved with the lawsuit. 'This proposed land exchange will provide enormous financial benefits to these mining companies and cause significant harm to Oak Flat and to the public that cannot be mitigated,' said Bahr. In April, the Trump administration added the Resolution Copper mine, along with nine other projects, to a priority permitting list to increase the domestic production of critical minerals in accordance with an executive order signed in March. 'The Resolution Copper Project is a prime example of how we can harness America's abundant resources to fuel growth in rural America, reduce our dependence on foreign imports, strengthen our supply chains, and enhance our national security,' said Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins, in a news release. 'By advancing responsible mining, we are fulfilling President Trump's vision of ensuring America remains a global leader in mineral production while creating jobs for the people and communities we serve.' According to the USDA, the mine is projected to create nearly 1,500 jobs, provide between $80 and $120 million a year in estimated state and local tax revenue for rural economies, and contribute $200 million a year to the federal government. Because the United States lacks smelting capacity, opponents of the mine say the project will ultimately benefit global markets, as the multinational company is likely to send the copper ore overseas for processing. For over a decade, Oak Flat has been the subject of debate over religious freedoms, environmental conservation, mining reform and the green energy revolution. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the lawsuit brought by grassroots group Apache Stronghold, which argued the land swap was a violation of their rights under the First Amendment and Religious Freedom Restoration Act. John Leos covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to Environmental coverage on and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: US Forest Service releases environmental statement for Oak Flat mine
AU Financial Review
5 days ago
- Business
- AU Financial Review
BHP-Rio copper mega project in US gets environmental green light
Washington | A multi-billion-dollar underground copper mine proposed by Rio Tinto and BHP in the US state of Arizona has received environmental approval from the US Department of Agriculture, marking an important milestone for the joint venture. The mining giants' Resolution Copper has been in limbo for years after an earlier clearance granted in 2021 at the tail end of the first Trump term was rescinded by the Biden administration.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Resolution Copper welcomes the republication of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS)
SUPERIOR, Ariz., June 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Resolution Copper welcomes today's republication of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS)—a positive step forward for the project. This republication allows the USFS to advance the congressionally mandated land exchange, enabling future underground mine development and placing thousands of acres of land into permanent conservation. For more than 10 years, the USFS, in consultation with Native American Tribes, local Copper Triangle communities, civil society organizations and a dozen federal and state agencies have shaped the Resolution Copper project through a rigorous, independent review under the National Environmental Policy Act. The process began in 2013 with the submittal of the Mine Plan of Operations, shortly before President Obama signed the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange Act in December 2014. The FEIS republication marks a significant milestone and documents the lengthy decade-long stakeholder process to co-design the underground mine and associated surface support facilities within the footprint of the historic Magma Copper Mine. "Through this process, we have deepened our relationships with local communities and Native American Tribes, including our senior leaders spending time with Tribal leaders to listen and build mutual understanding," said Vicky Peacey, General Manager of Resolution Copper. "We welcome the opportunity to continue these conversations as we move into the next phase of permitting. Working together, mining can co-exist with cultural heritage, recreation, and nature, while delivering new economic opportunities in rural Arizona." "This project has undergone one of the most comprehensive environmental and social reviews in U.S. history. The republication of the FEIS reflects the thorough work by the USFS, local communities, and Native American Tribes and the seriousness with which all stakeholders have approached this process," said Peacey. "We remain committed to earning trust through transparency, engagement, and responsible development as we move forward." As part of the land exchange, Resolution Copper has committed to initiatives that support cultural preservation, recreation, education, employment, economic development, and nature through long-term partnerships with Native American Tribes and local communities. This includes significant funding in a long-term Native American Trust Fund and Emory Oak restoration. Other commitments focus on conservation and monitoring of seeps and springs; restoration and preservation of creeks, rivers, and watersheds; and habitat enhancement for biodiversity. As one of the largest investments in rural Arizona's history, the project is expected to generate thousands of jobs and contribute $1 billion annually to the state's economy. Copper produced at the mine will support U.S. energy, infrastructure, clean technology, and national defense priorities, strengthening both Arizona's economy and the nation's long-term security. About Resolution Copper Resolution Copper is Arizona Copper. The Resolution Copper Project is operated by Resolution Copper Mining, a limited liability company owned 55 percent by Resolution Copper Company (a Rio Tinto PLC subsidiary) and 45 percent by BHP Copper Inc. (a BHP PLC subsidiary). Learn more at Contacts:Media Relations, Resolution Copper Tyson NanselM +1 520 827 9056E Media Relations, Rio Tinto USJesse RiseboroughM +1 202 394 9480E View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Resolution Copper Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Feds expected to release final review of a plan to open Oak Flat site to copper mining
The U.S. Forest Service is expected to release the latest environmental impact statement as early as June 16 for a copper mine project that will obliterate one of the Apache peoples' most sacred sites after construction is complete and it becomes operational. The document is one of the last steps in finalizing a controversial land exchange between the Forest Service and British-Australian mining firm Resolution Copper. It has been anticipated by tribes, environmentalists, recreational enthusiasts, mining interests and elected officials since the original impact statement was rescinded by President Joe Biden in 2021. At least two lawsuits — on hold since January 2021 when the environmental review was released by the first Trump administration — are expected to be revived and possibly amended during the 60-day period before the exchange could be finalized. On June 9, a federal judge ordered that the government refrain from making the exchange until the full 60 days after the statement was published have passed. One environmental group is skeptical about what the new impact statement will contain. "Whatever the government publishes next week, we can be sure it isn't going to be a legitimate environmental review," said Russ McSpadden of the Center for Biological Diversity. "It's more likely to be a political handout to a multinational mining company." And no matter what the new statement says, the law requires the exchange to be completed. Resolution Copper is "confident the project satisfies all applicable legal requirements," said Vicky Peacey, the company's president and general manager. 'Energy emergency': Trump puts Oak Flat copper mine on permitting fast track For more than two decades, Oak Flat Campground, known to Apaches as Chi'chil Biłdagoteel, "the place where the Emory oak grows," has been ground zero in a battle over Native religious rights on public lands as well as preservation of one of Arizona's most scarce commodities, a working wetland. The 2,200-acre primitive campground and riparian zone within the Tonto National Forest about 60 miles east of Phoenix also lies over one of the nation's largest remaining bodies of copper. Tribes, environmentalists and their allies have been fighting to prevent Oak Flat from being given to Resolution Copper in exchange for other environmentally sensitive lands in Arizona. The company had pursued the land exchange with the Forest Service for about 10 years before it became attached to a defense bill by a group of congressional officials led by the late Sen. John McCain in December 2014. To obtain the copper ore, Resolution, which is owned by multinational firms Rio Tinto and BHP, will use a method known as block cave mining in which tunnels are drilled beneath the ore body, and then collapsed, leaving the ore to be moved to a crushing facility. Eventually, the ground will subside, leaving behind a crater about 1,000 feet deep and nearly 2 miles across where Oak Flat and its religious and environmental significance stands. Grassroots group Apache Stronghold filed a lawsuit in January 2021 in federal court to stop the land swap, citing religious rights guarantees under the First Amendment and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a religious freedom nonprofit law firm, accepted the case and, along with a group of private attorneys and law professors, has represented Apache Stronghold, which includes Apache and other Native peoples and their allies. The San Carlos Apache Tribe and a consortium of environmentalists and Arizona tribes filed their own suits. Those two lawsuits have been on hold until the new impact statement is published. The Biden administration rescinded the environmental impact statement in March 2021 for further consultation with tribes. The Forest Service announced consultation was concluded in 2023. Resolution was granted permission to join the lawsuit in 2023. In 2024, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Apache Stronghold in a narrow 6-5 decision. That fall, the group appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Forest Service's announcement in April that the process would move forward again set off a flurry of court filings to stop or at least put on hold the move, which would open up a 60-day period when the land exchange could take place. Apache Stronghold won a temporary halt to the proceedings until the high court either decided not to take the case or issued a decision. The Supreme Court turned Apache Stronghold down in May. On June 9, U.S. District Court Judge Dominic W. Lanza barred the Forest Service from completing the land exchange until a full 60 days after the new document is issued to give parties from the other two lawsuits sufficient time to review the environmental impact statement and revive their litigation. Long battle: Indigenous people find legal, cultural barriers to protect sacred spaces off tribal lands The tribes and environmental groups who have been waiting for the new review were happy to get sufficient time to review and address it in their litigation. 'We are grateful that Judge Lanza has provided us an opportunity to be heard,' said San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler. 'The two-month window provides the tribe an opportunity to file an amended lawsuit challenging the legality of the pending environmental report and request an injunction to stop the land exchange until the merits of our case are settled.' McSpadden said the 2021 environmental document was faulty, and he doesn't expect the new one to be much better. "You can fully expect the environmental impact statement will perpetuate a massive disservice to the public and especially to Arizona tribes," he said. Also, there's the matter of where the ore is headed. Because the United States lacks the capacity to smelt and process the ore, "It's likely to be smelted in China and sold on the global market," McSpadden said. "That's hardly a win for American supply chain security." That's despite the fact that Trump signed an executive order ordering an investigation into "how copper imports threaten America's national security and economic stability." McSpadden said the copper from Oak Flat and the hundreds of billions of gallons of water required to extract it would be a resource effectively lost to Americans, especially Arizonans. "The profits will flow into Chinese-linked entities and global markets," he said. The Aluminum Corporation of China, known as Chinalco, is Rio Tinto's largest shareholder. Sacred lands: Oak Flat: A place of prayer faces obliteration by a copper mine The mine project's supporters said they were confident that the new environmental impact statement will show the mine will satisfy legal requirements and allow them to move forward. 'The court correctly found no legal basis for a preliminary injunction, and its order is consistent with prior decisions about this project at every level, including the Supreme Court's recent decision to deny further review in Apache Stronghold v. United States," Peacey said. She said that the order simply gives the two lawsuit parties time to review the impact statement within the congressionally-mandated timeframe for the land exchange. A Resolution spokesperson said the mine is vital to securing America's energy future, infrastructure needs and national defense. He said the mine has the potential to become one of the largest copper mines in the nation, and could add $1 billion a year to Arizona's economy and create thousands of local jobs. The mine also has the support of Superior Mayor Mila Besich. "Along with residents of our town and the Copper Corridor, we have worked diligently to address and ensure that the Resolution Copper mine project will be an asset not just for our communities, but also to contribute to technology and the national security of our nation." She said the town has worked with Resolution to co-design the mine to ensure it will benefit the region for generations to come and spur diverse economic activity, strengthening local economies' resilience and sustainability. The mayor said significant mitigation agreements are in place that would "protect and grow economic diversification, preserve the area's history and culture and that of our Native American neighbors." Besich pointed to environmental mitigations such as the preservation of the Emory Oak and extensive protections and improvements for the Queen Creek watershed. The new environmental impact statement is expected to be formally published in the Federal Register on June 20, and plaintiffs in the two lawsuits are gearing up to review it and renew their litigation. 'The Trump administration has been rushing to sell out our public lands and destroy sacred sites and the environment," said Marc Fink, the director of the Public Lands Law Center at the Center for Biological Diversity. "We look forward to having our day in court to defend Oak Flat based on a full record.' Debra Krol reports on Indigenous communities at the confluence of climate, culture and commerce in Arizona and the Intermountain West. Reach Krol at Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @debkrol and on Bluesky at @ This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Forest Service ready to release final review of Oak Flat copper mine
Yahoo
07-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal judge denies 2 bids to halt Oak Flat land transfer for copper mine
A federal judge in Phoenix has denied two motions for preliminary injunctions that sought to halt a land swap that would transfer ownership of Oak Flat, a parcel of U.S. Forest land located 60 miles east of Phoenix, to a company that intends to open a huge copper mine. In a packed courtroom on June 6, U.S. District Judge Dominic W. Lanza heard arguments in two lawsuits seeking to stop the land exchange until the merits of the cases had been heard. The judge also heard from lawyers representing the U.S. Forest Service and Resolution Copper, who asserted that the law requires the government to transfer the federal property to the mining company within 60 days of the publication of a Final Environmental Impact Statement. The government's lawyers indicated that the environmental impact statement would be made available to the public on June 16, but officially published in the federal register on June 20, when the 60-day countdown would begin. The judge set a timeline for the cases after the government publishes the final environmental review. The two lawsuits challenged the environmental review of the land exchange and the value of the land being swapped to the government by Resolution Copper. One lawsuit was brought by the San Carlos Apache Tribe, a federally recognized tribe, and the other by the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona Inc. and a coalition of environmental and outdoor recreation groups including the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, Earthworks, the Center for Biological Diversity, Access Fund and the Sierra Club Grand Canyon chapter. In May, U.S. District Judge Steven Logan issued an injunction sought by the grassroots group Apache Stronghold to block the land swap. Logan ruled that the federal government could not issue the final environmental impact statement for the exchange, but that order was set to expire if the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear Apache Stronghold's request for a review. On May 27, the high court said it would not hear the case. Critical minerals: Why can't the US mine and refine all its copper? What to know about new Trump order The land at the center of the dispute, Oak Flat, also known as Chi'chil Biłdagoteel, is considered sacred to the Apache and other Native peoples and the site of religious ceremonies. It is also a popular site for outdoor recreationists and habitat for rare desert species, like the endangered Arizona hedgehog cactus and ocelot. Beneath the land sits one of the largest copper deposits on the continent, according to Resolution Copper, whose method of underground mining would sink the land into a nearly two mile wide crater approximately 1,000 feet deep. Resolution Copper is a subsidiary of multinational mining companies BHP and Rio Tinto. Oak Flat has been at the center of ongoing debate over First Amendment religious rights, environmental conservation, mining reform and the green energy revolution since Congress authorized the land exchange in 2014. In exchange for about 5,000 acres of ecologically valuable properties around Arizona, Resolution Copper would gain ownership of Oak Flat to create one of the largest copper mines in the country. While Resolution Copper says the mine would create jobs and benefit the local and state economy, environmentalists say the huge copper mine would destroy the environment and deplete ground and surface water. In April, the Trump administration added the proposed Resolution Copper mine, along with nine other mining projects, to a priority list to increase the domestic production of critical minerals in accordance with an executive order issued in March. In May, the U.S. Supreme Court declined the hear the lawsuit brought by Apache Stronghold, despite dissents from Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas. The Apache Stronghold argued that their First Amendment rights to religious freedom were violated by the land exchange. John Leos covers environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send tips or questions to Environmental coverage on and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic environmental reporting team at and @azcenvironment on Facebook and Instagram. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Federal judge denies bid to halt land swap for copper mine at Oak Flat
