Save Oak Flat Act Introduced in 116th Congress
The Save Oak Flat Act was introduced today in the US House (HR 665), and Senate (S 173). These bills would repeal the Oak Flat Land Exchange, which would give Oak Flat to huge international mining companies to build a large environmentally destructive copper mine....
Rio Tinto attempts to bribe Arizona State Parks with land gift
An article in the November 1, 2018, Phoenix New Times, uncovers yet another in a long series of dirty tricks played by Rio Tinto in their quest to strongarm government officials and other decisionmakers into supporting their plans to destroy Oak Flat and another 7,000...Arizona Mining Reform Coalition wins victory in appeal over Resolution Copper permit to pollute Queen Creek
On October 16, 2018, Administrative Law Judge Thomas Shedden, ruled that the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) had violated Arizona state law in renewing a permit allowing Resolution Copper to dump polluted mine water into Queen Creek. The...
Showing the Cracks: New Report Shows Design Flaws in Proposed Resolution Copper Project
A new report prepared for the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition by Dr. Steven Emerman shows serious flaws and deficiencies in the technical design of Rio Tinto’s proposed Resolution Copper mine. The proposed mine, which would destroy Oak Flat and more than 5,000...Comments Filed April 2017 – April 2018
The following are most of the comments we filed and/or signed onto in the past year:
Pinto Valley Mine Expansion
Apache Leap Special Management Area
Tonto National Forest Plan Revision
Excelsior Mining Gunnison In-Situ Mine Proposal
- July 27, 2107 ADEQ draft APP comments
- July 27, 2017 Technical comments
- January 4, 2018 EPA UIC comments
- January 4, 2018 Technical comments
- February 20, 2017 SUpplimental UIC comments
Rosemont Mine 60 days Intent to Sue Notices
- August 3, 2017 Notice of Intent to Sue over Clean Water Act Violations
- November 9, 2017 Notice of Intent to Sue over Endagered Species Act Violations
Galiuro Exploration Plan
ADEQ Draft TMDL report for Queen Creek
Ray Mine Land Exchange
Oak Flat Mine Plan Scoping comments
Selected 2017 News Articles about Oak Flat
Check out these news articles about our struggle to protect Oak Flat
Mother of a Metal, Phoenix Magaizine, June 2017, by Keridwen Cornelius
Massive copper mine tests Trump’s push to slash regulation, Reuters, July 12, 2017, by Emily Flitter
What’s at Stake in Oak Flat, Edible Baja Arizona, November/December 2017, by John Washington
Photos of our trip to London to adress the Board of Directors of BHP, Billiton (the minority owner of the proposed mine at Oak Flat)
Please tell the EPA to protect precious Arizona groundwater
Please comment now to protect precious Arizona groundwater
The deadline for comments is Tuesday, February 27, 2018, so act now!
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently accepting comments for a draft permit that would allow a brand-new mining company with no track record to pollute Arizona groundwater to extract copper from Arizona grasslands rich in cultural heritage just upstream from the Willcox playa, winter home to thousands of imperiled Sandhill cranes.
The permit would allow the company to drill 1,400 wells and inject over 7,000,000 gallons of sulfuric acid a day into the groundwater.
In-situ mining is a type of mining that injects acid into the ground to dissolve copper and other minerals. This toxic solution of copper and acid is then pumped from the ground and processed to remove the copper. In-situ mining, by definition, is the intentional pollution of ground water. In-situ mining has long been used to produce uranium but (outside of several existing mines) has never been attempted to mine copper. No in-situ mine has ever returned the groundwater to pre-mining conditions.
What could possibly go wrong?!!
Please send the EPA comments on this inappropriate project.
For More Information:
Original comments from a Coalition of groups
Supplemental comments
EPA’s project website
Updated 2/26/18
Attend public meeting to stop the proposed Gunnison copper mine
The US EPA will be taking public comments at a meeting in Dragoon, AZ from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm, on February 27, 2018.
The meeting will be held at the Dragoon Women’s Club, 1871 North Johnson Road, Dragoon, Arizona.
Excelsior Mining is planning an in-situ copper mine on private land near the town of Dragoon and Texas Canyon (between the towns of Benson and Willcox upstream from the Willcox Playa). Excelsior Mining was formed in 2005 and this is their only mine project.
In-situ mining is a type of mining that injects sulfuric acid into the ground to dissolve copper and other minerals. This toxic solution of copper and acid is then pumped from the ground and processed to remove the copper. In-situ mining, by definition, is the intentional pollution of ground water. In-situ mining has long been used to produce uranium and at several existing copper mines but has never been attempted to mine copper in a greenfields location. No in-situ mine has ever returned the groundwater to pre-mining conditions.
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is currently taking comments on a draft Underground Injection Control permit that would allow the company to drill 1,400 wells and inject over 7,000,000 gallons of sulfuric acid a day into the groundwater.
What could possibly go wrong?!!
Please see our sample comments letter to EPA to use for talking points to use if you speak at the public meeting.
If you cannot attend the public meeting, please send the EPA comments.
Thanks,
Roger Featherstone, Director
For More Information:
Talking points
Our comments
Supplemental comments
EPA’s project website
Updated 2/26/18
Appeal hearing of a Rio Tinto permit to pollute Queen Creek begins February 5
Please attend a hearing this week to support the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition’s appeal of permits granted to Rio Tinto to dump polluted water into Queen Creek. The Coalition has appealed the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality’s (ADEQ) improper granting of a permit to Rio Tinto. Queen Creek is already polluted due to mining activity and, if the permit is upheld, Rio Tinto would make the pollution worse.
The hearing will be taking place from Monday, February 5, 2018 to at least Friday, February 9. The hearing will go all day from 9:00 to 5:00.
The hearing will take place at 1400 W. Washington, Suite 101, Phoenix, AZ.
Please drop in at any time (except over the lunch recess) to support our appeal.