Stories - AZPM

Oak Flat, east of Superior, Arizona. A company proposes to build one of the world's largest underground copper mines at this location.

Controversial Oak Flat mine moves closer to reality

Oak Flat, sacred to the Apache and other tribes, sits over a huge reserve of copper.

The Rio Sonora flows through the town of Baviácora, Sonora, July 30, 2019.

6 years after Rio Sonora mining spill, contamination continues

Residents impacted by the spill say neither the mining company nor the government have followed through with promises.

The Canyon Mine, about 15 miles south of the Grand Canyon, was approved in 1986 but has not produced any uranium, its owners say, in part because subsidized competition from foreign countries like China and Russia keeps prices too low.

Plan to ‘revive’ uranium mining called unneeded, unwanted by advocates

Environmentalists fear the removal of regulations on the industry, which they say has yet to address a toxic legacy.

More than 1,700 workers from a number of unions have been on strike against Asarco copper mining and refining operations in Arizona and Texas for four months now.

Immovable objects: Asarco, striking workers at odds after four months

The strike, which started in October, includes more than 1,700 workers at five Asarco facilities in Texas and Southern Arizona

The proposed site of the Rosemont Copper mining project is in the Santa Rita Mountains in Southern Arizona.

District judge overturns another part of Rosemont Mine approval

The judge on Monday threw out the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's approval of the project.

Communities affected by mining spill win case in Mexico's Supreme Court

The decision granted protection to Sonora River Valley residents seeking remediation following a 2014 Grupo México toxic mine spill.

Workers made their demands known at the start of their strike against Asarco by projecting them on to the side of company facility in Hayden. That was Oct. 13, and workers are still on strike three months later, with the two sides apparently not closer to a settlement.

As strike against Asarco enters fourth month, workers remain determined

Workers brought their fight to the state Capitol on Monday, rallying to demand that lawmakers hold foreign companies accountable for their treatment of U.S. workers.

Mine workers striking in front of Asarco's Tucson office on Dec. 16, 2019.

Striking mine worker unions call on government to intervene

The unions filed charges of unfair labor practices against Asarco in response to the company's best and final offer.

A view of the Rio Sonora valley from a hillside in Baviácora, Sonora, on July 30, 2019.

Report: Tailings dam poses threat to Rio Sonora valley 5 years after major spill

The report's author says Grupo México's new tailings pond threatens the health and livelihood of people already impacted by a 2014 spill.

The Grand Canyon is one site where industry critics want to restrict mining in Arizona.

House passes bill banning future Grand Canyon uranium mining

The bill would block mining on 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon.

Striking workers picket outside the Mission Mine in Sahuarita on Oct. 16, 2019.

Asarco strike creates division, uncertainty and unity

Mine workers are striking for better pay and benefits.

A section of the Asarco-owned Silver Bell Mine, in 2010.

Arizona miners strike against Asarco

Strikers are calling for better pay and benefits.

Archive Tucson: Life in a 1930s mining camp

Today, Ruby is a ghost town, but Tallia Cahoon remembers community, pastimes and the occasional knife fight.

Archive Tucson: Eating the brined jackrabbit

Jackrabbits and riding the rails to school — growing up in Sasco, Arizona, now a ghost town.

Mexican authorities meet with people affected by the 2014 mining spill in the Rio Sonora in the town of Bacanuchi, Sonora on Sept. 6, 2019.

Mexican authorities meet with Rio Sonora mining spill victims

A legal representative of residents affected by the spill said the dialogue is a result of pressure the communities have put on authorities.

In 2016, mine-shaft drilling pierced shallow aquifers, causing water pumped from the mine to spike.

Environmental groups call on Arizona to close uranium mine

The groups cite flooding of the mine that threatens to contaminate drinking water.

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