May 12, 2022

Appeals court rules against mine project in Santa Rita Mountains

The court cited the planned use of Coronado National Forest land for long-term storage of waste rock and the lack of valuable minerals on the property.

Rosemont Mine Site The proposed site of the Rosemont Copper Mine.
AZPM

An appeals court Thursday upheld a judge’s ruling overturning a federal agency’s approval of Hudbay Mineral Inc.’s plan for a new open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed that the U.S. Forest Service’s approval of a permit for the Rosemont Mine went beyond what is allowed under a federal mining law.

The court cited the planned use of Coronado National Forest land for long-term storage of waste rock and the lack of valuable minerals on the property.

The decision comes in a lawsuit filed by environmental groups and local tribes, which have opposed the project.

"This landmark decision further validates that Rosemont's foreign owners have neither the legal right nor the valid mining claims for their proposed plan to destroy sacred sites beneath a mountain of poisonous mine waste, said Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr.

In a statement, Hudbay said it is reviewing the decision and will continue to pursue an alternative plan to advance the project.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.

By posting comments, you agree to our
AZPM encourages comments, but comments that contain profanity, unrelated information, threats, libel, defamatory statements, obscenities, pornography or that violate the law are not allowed. Comments that promote commercial products or services are not allowed. Comments in violation of this policy will be removed. Continued posting of comments that violate this policy will result in the commenter being banned from the site.

By submitting your comments, you hereby give AZPM the right to post your comments and potentially use them in any other form of media operated by this institution.
AZPM is a service of the University of Arizona and our broadcast stations are licensed to the Arizona Board of Regents who hold the trademarks for Arizona Public Media and AZPM. We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples.
The University of Arizona