A giant mining company is one step closer to building one of the nation's largest underground copper mines an hour east of Phoenix on land considered sacred to many Apaches.
Phoenix, Arizona, United States – Indigenous and environmental groups in the United States are suing the US Forest Service (USFS) to try to prevent the transfer of more than 9.7 square kilometres (2,400 acres) of land in Arizona to a mining company for potential development.
The co-plaintiffs in the case, including the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona and the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club, on January 22 filed a lawsuit against a proposed copper mine about 100km east of Phoenix that they say would harm the local environment.
“Without a doubt, the proposed mine presents a huge threat to water quality and water supplies for our region,” said Shan Lewis, vice chairman of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe and president of the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona in a written statement.
1 / of 3
Rio Tinto and BHP battle Apache tribes to build North America s biggest copper mine at sacred Oak Flat site
Posted
TueTuesday 26
updated
TueTuesday 26
JanJanuary 2021 at 11:06pm
Apache elder Wendsler Nosie is one of those leading the campaign to save Oak Flat from mining.
(
Print text only This place is very holy and religious to us.
Wendsler Nosie Senior, an elder of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, is describing his people s land, Oak Flat or Chi chil Bildagoteel, in the Arizona desert in the US south-west.
The site in the Tonto National Forest is a popular camping and hiking ground and contains sacred cultural heritage locations that include rock carvings, burial sites and the Apache Leap, where Apache warriors jumped to their death after being driven to the edge of the cliff by the US cavalry.
Resolution Copper has been modified and vetted. We just need the opportunity to mine Andrew Lye, opinion contributor
As America steps toward a clean energy future – a key plank of the incoming Biden administration’s agenda – a copper deposit in central Arizona could help make that future a reality.
Popular Searches
Copper is an essential component in smart phones and tablets, medical equipment and wind turbines. For example, one wind turbine alone can use more than three tons of copper. The World Bank estimates that global copper demand could grow 200% by 2050, largely driven by demand for renewable energy.
Yet the world’s largest copper mines are currently in Chile, Indonesia and Peru. Resolution Copper could help keep this essential material “made in America.”
Oak Flat: Trump’s Final Middle Finger to the Environment
As Trump’s term comes to a dramatic close, the administration’s last minute effort to rush through multiple mining projects that pose a grave environmental risk is lost in the headlines
By Raul DIEGO
Buried deep in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for 2015, section 3003 calls for the expeditious facilitation of a land exchange agreement between Resolution Copper Mining, LLC and the United States government to create one of the largest and deepest copper mines in the country, spanning nearly 11,000 square miles of national forest terrain and penetrating 7,000 miles into beneath the surface of the earth.