Opponents of the proposed Rosemont Mine were cheering news that the open-pit project in the Santa Rita Mountains has been delayed indefinitely.
Officials from Rosemont Copper’s Canadian parent company, Hudbay Minerals, announced on Feb. 24 that the project has been put on hold because of low copper prices and regulatory hurdles.
But company officials added in a press release that they still plan to move forward with the Rosemont mine once copper prices rebound.
“Hudbay remains committed to advancing Rosemont, which is expected to be one of the first new copper projects to be built once copper prices and capital market conditions improve,” the release states.
Mine opponent Gayle Hartmann said the company’s confidence in the project is a smokescreen to keep investors on board.
“Of course they sound bullish,” said Hartmann, president of Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, a nonprofit group that has battled the project from the start. “It’s not real, but that’s the way they have to sound for their investors.”
Hartmann said the mine, which would carve a mile-wide pit in the Santa Rita Mountains south of Tucson, “isn’t going to happen at all.”
But she said the announcement that Hudbay is delaying the mine is less meaningful than the upcoming decisions from the federal officials.
“We’re pleased but it doesn’t really mean anything,” Hartmann says. “What’s going to mean something is when the Army Corps denies their permit or the Fish and Wildlife Service says they have to all sorts of mitigation that they’re not going to be able to do.”
While Rosemont owns the land it plans to mine, the company wants to use U.S. Forest Service land as a spot to dump its mining waste.
Fish and Wildlife Service officials have been studying the impact that the mine will have on area’s habitat, where endangered species including a jaguar and an ocelot have been spotted. A biological opinion, which is necessary before the U.S. Forest Service can approve the project, is expected to be released later this month.
The project has also run into trouble with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency, which must approve a Section 404 Permit under the Clean Water Act. Correspondence between Rosemont and the federal agencies has indicated that the regulatory bodies are skeptical about Rosemont’s proposal.
Hartmann said that there were a “host of issues” for opposing the mine, including the impact on wildlife and the tourism industry in Southern Arizona.
But the biggest one is water. Hartmann remains concerned about the mine’s plan to pump water away from the aquifer that serves Green Valley, Sahuarita and the Tucson area to “wash their rocks” and the danger that mining pollution, such as heavy metals, could have on Cienega Creek, Davidson Canyon and other areas near the mine.
“Water is a limited resource—and our most precious one,” Hartmann said.
This article appears in Feb 25 – Mar 2, 2016.
No growth, no jobs, no future.
5th poorest city in the country, and damn proud of it!
Q: Is a copper mine really worth all the damage that will accompany it?
A: Hell no!
I hope it stays delayed to the point of no return.
Federal regulations are building Mexico, China and Russia into mighty fine economies.
The US? Not so much.
This had nothing to do with US regulations. The economy of China is in a tailspin creating a glut of copper with no new demand. This also explains why the mine in Sahuarita has laid off so many miners in the past few months. Copper mining is officially in the bust cycle with no boom in sight. Tucson DID gain quite a few well paid workers over the past five years, the flacks and shills for Rosemont were compensated well for doing nothing productive.
Special thanks to Gayle Hartmann and the elected officials of Pima County who fought the good fight for so long. And to so many others who fought against this disaster over the past years.
500 jobs are not worth destroying our habitat. They come in, rip up the landscape, dump pollutants and leave it for the taxpayers to clean up. Anyone who supports that is an idiot.
Hey “what again” dumbass. Rochester is the 5th poorest city in the US.
From what I’ve read, the mine would only provide twenty years’ worth of jobs before being tapped out.
Also, if Mexico is such a strong economy, then how come so many people from Mexico are eager to get out?
Tucson does not seem to have a whole lot in the way of a knowledge/information economy, and the nature of the climate means that the economy in general is heavily dependent on seasonal tourism and part-time residents (snowbirds with disposable income). If Tucson wants to build a stronger economy, maybe those are the areas that should be addressed first. I mean, what kid grows up dreaming of becoming a copper miner anyway? Most people can’t wait to get out of mining towns. So why not focus on the jobs that your kids will actually want when they grow up?
Do we need any more illustration of how Tucson is Socialist/Marxist where those that live off the fruits of others dictate to others what types of businesses and careers are acceptable? Even making statements like if a job is only good for twenty years it’s not worth it?
Food stamps, welfare and government dependency, living off someone else’s money is forever.
Hey what again…again?
You should expand your knowledge base.
“Where America’s poorest live: How the country’s once-proud industrial heartlands still struggle with low incomes and poverty seven years on from financial crisis
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2960111/America-s-poorest-cities-revealed-country-s-proud-industrial-heartlands-struggling-bankruptcy-foreclosures-seven-years-financial-crisis.html
5. Tucson, Arizona
Jill J – 500 jobs are not worth it? They sure are for the 500 and their children. Not to mention the associated THOUSANDS of jobs that are a result of the expenditures.
Whose money are you living off?
Wow, what a troll you are What, Again.
You can’t possibly believe what you type. There are only 3 reasons why you would support permanent destruction of a beautiful piece of land over some extremely temporary jobs:
1. You actually know better and are just being a troll who wants to start a fight.
2. You stand to benefit from the raping of this unique environment.
3. You genuinely believe the bullshit that you type and you need that head removal from ass surgery more than anyone else has ever needed it.
I hope you will be the first in line to drink the contaminated water that results if everything goes as you see fit. Maybe then you’ll see things for what they truly are.
AZ/DC – you certainly didn’t mind raping this beautiful land, permanently destroying it, using the precious water to flush your turds in your house. How can you stand to live here knowing you are killing Mother Earth?
Sorry troll, I don’t have control over that. I would change that if I could, but that’s a mighty tall order. But the issue at hand that can be controlled, so far (and hopefully for good), is a lot more realistically within reach.
The comparison of creating sewage and willfully destroying a uniquely diverse piece of land for profit is akin to comparing apples and orangutans. Yes, I typed orangutans on purpose; oranges did not give that comparison the wide enough divide for which it truly deserved.
Nice try (not really though), troll.
Sorry AZ/DC – real easy for you to change that.
Leave, expire.
All you’re doing is enslaving people to no growth, no jobs, no future. And wasting our water, killing mother earth each and every breath you take.
5th poorest city in America, and DAMN proud of it.
Wow troll. You’re quick to respond! Too bad you’re not as quick mentally.
I’m done with you, you poor excuse for humanity. A wall would understand before you ever could.
You are a sad, sad person. 😢
As much as I hate to interrupt the poetic back and forth happening above….
Glad to hear that area will remain mine-free. The recreational value of the northern Santa Ritas far exceeds the value of what little copper is there. Hiking, hunting, mountain biking, birding, etc. would be affected. The mine would’ve impacted the Arizona Trail – a huge tourist attraction.
Not to mention the amount of water it would’ve used.
Building a giant copper mine right in the back yard of a major metro area is not a good idea. And a copper mine isn’t going to add much to an economic region the size of Pima County anyway.
I would join you bslap if I didn’t fear that hunting, mountain biking, motorized recreational vehicles, were next to be outlawed by extreme environmentalists. Just watch and see.
Many of you under estimate the actual impact of the operation when support companies that service their needs pop up. Much like many start ups for Raytheon. When can we start building an economy that doesn’t include changing sheets? Never?
From what I have read, Rosemont would be hiring workers from other countries to fill many of the jobs, thus negating any so-called employment boom for locals. The mine was a horrible concept from the very beginning and it’s amazing the controversy has gone on this long. Mining laws permitting such destruction were written in the late 19th century and the time to overhaul them is long overdue!
Just like the Constitution?
It is amazing to me how totally ill informed the mine opponents really are. The people that will work at the mine (which will be built at some point) will LIVE there. The mine will be in THIER backyards. Their Children will live near the mine. They are probably more aware and better environmental stewards than any of you will ever be. Mines and their employees have incredible environmental training and operating programs. Do you report to the state if your car leaks a couple of drops of oil on the ground? Well Mines do and they clean it up. Do you? The mine has had a nursery for almost a decade growing native plants for replanting the area and they will be reclaiming the land as they go. They will have a much LESS lasting effect on the landscape that the urban sprawl caused by you folks. Do you have any idea how much in tax revenue the mine and their LOCAL workers and all the local services they use will provide to the community? Those of you that think everything is FREE need to realize that SOMEONE has to supply the money. And a Mine is one of the FEW enterprises that ACTUALLY CREATES new money and wealth for everyone out of the ground. I have been to mines where black bears roam the property just as they did before the mine was there. The Alyeska pipeline was touted are horrible because it would DESTROT caribou migration. WRONG. The caribou end up using the pipeline route for migration because it is easier to travel along and easier area to cross. Time you folks grew up and learned something about the world.
Oh by the way, the referenced Press Release did NOT say that Hudbay was indefinitely delaying the project. Also, all of you that OPPOSE the mine probably SUPPORT Solar and Wind energy right?? Do you realize that per WATT of actual annual energy output they need a LOT more copper than a coal fired power plant? Do you realize that wind power now ranks #3 in the cause of bird deaths? #1 is cats and #2 is cars. And ELECTRIC CARS?? YOU have any idea how much copper is in those? Where do you expect for that copper to come from? Come on folks are you all REALLY THAT STUPID?
I always get a kick reading comments from any mine opponent as they use their electronics and sit in their houses that are full of the materials that are pulled from the ground to provide them with those items. It’s always the same. Don’t mine in my back yard but I need the materials to be able to enjoy my luxuries.
Responsible mining is always better than the alternative. Those that oppose mines such as Rosemont end up endorsing mines in 3rd world countries that have lower standards for safety and environment.
Obviously we all use commodities in our daily life that are mined. Here’s the rub: the global supply of copper outstrips the demand for more copper ore. At this time and for the foreseeable future that will not be changing. Every nation that is wealthy in terms of its mineral deposits has the right to allow mining and legislate higher standards of safety and environmental protection. That is their concern, not ours. Here, in Pima County, not a single elected official has come out in favor of of Rosemont, that is more telling than any of the knee jerk responses of this mine’s supporters.
Rick Spanier – thank you King of Central Planning for telling us what industries will and will not be allowed based on your assessment of the global market and asset life cycles.
You think that not a single elected official – county or city, has come out for the mine is telling?
It is – they are all bona fide socialists – they just use a different term – environmentalist.
Tucson, the town too far left to survive.
5th poorest city in America, and DAMN proud of it.
WA,
There is nothing socialist about the laws of supply and demand or a need for “A King of Central Planning.” The market has spoken on the economics of copper mining, as it has in the past. More than likely a new boom cycle will come sometime in the future. That said, Rosemont may never be mined due to the Augusta Resource (now HudBay) failure to adequately address environmental regulations and widespread public resistance to trashing public lands and water supplies by a Canadian mining company with a poor record of corporate responsibility.
http://www.alternativesjournal.ca/communit…
Dear Rick Spanler: The supply and demand of commodities changes almost daily. Even on the yearly basis some years there is oversupply and prices of copper and oil may go to $2 and $25 respectively, the next they can be over demand and the prices are $6 and $110 respectively. Mine start out typically with high grade and that grade declines. The actual life of the mine is dependent on the Economic Grade which takes into account the actual percent copper, the stripping ratio, the operating costs and the price. Technology often kicks in and helps mines that had a 20 year life at the beginning operate for 40 years or more as more efficient technologies allow for lower and lower economic grades to be mined. However, unlike oil well that can be turned on and off mines take 10+ years to get started. So unless you want to see copped hit $10 or more and make all the energy saving technologies outrageously expensive, we need to continue to build mines. Rosemont is rather unique in that the actual mineral grade is one of the highest in the world. And as “agree to Disagree” noted above, not developing Rosemont will send jobs overseas to locations that are neither as energy efficient as Rosemont will be and certainly not as environmentally as prudent at Rosemont will be. The more the US has to borrow from China, the weaker we become. If we keep up the current trend, in less than a generation the USA will be taking orders from China as we have riots in the streets because of high prices, low wages and skyrocketing deficits And our elected officials, like all elected officials, are not necessarily the brightest bulbs. They simple respond to the political winds. Once the mine is in place and pumping out lots of high paying jobs and lots of tax revenue, the same politicians will be singing the praises and taking credit for bring the mine into town. Again the problem is uninformed people with a political agenda not one that is really good for the most people.
LAMARTEK,
I totally agree with you on one point: “Again the problem is uninformed people with a political agenda not one that is really good for the most people.”
Explains the support for the Republican Party as evidenced by the three front runners: Trump, Rubio and Cruz. Or, to be fair, the Democratic front runner, Wall Street Hillary Clinton.
But I digress.
Where were all these feel good enviro types as the city pumped thousands of gallons of gas into the groundwater at Price Center at Park and Ajo? I didn’t hear one of you at those hearings.
http://tucsoncitizen.com/morgue2/1997/06/14/223526-price-center-soil-cleanup-starts/
Then again, how about the hole they dug on Ajo Rd for baseball that abandoned Tucson? Still paying for those.
But let’s jump on those corporate degraders, right? You could at least be consistent.
Cool I’m glad.
Spanier – boy are you confused.
You are right about one thing, the market has spoken, that is exactly why investors are willing to put their very own money into the mine.
Let me repeat that – their very own money. Not someone else’s money, not ‘public’ money.
It is the ‘environmentalists’, the liberals, the progressives, however you want to call the no growth socialists, countering the market, the laws of supply and demand, for their own selfish interest. They (you) are directly responsible for Tucson being the 5th poorest city in the country, denying thousands the economic opportunity they thought they had a right to – remember that thing those old white guys said –
“We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independent, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; …
Not in ‘progressive’ Tucson.
I’m late to the game but wanted to point out that Tucson is listed in the top 10 economically distressed cities in the US with 40% of the population living in poverty. Low wage tourism jobs won’t pull people out of poverty. And blame will need to be placed on those that blocked economic growth. Gayle Hartmann and Save the Scenic Santa Ritas plus the Center For Biological Diversity are those who blocked economic growth. Her comments about water are ludicrous, if water is such a scarce resource then who allowed developers to build homes near the Santa Ritas?
I also wonder who is paying Gayle Hartmann. Could it be developers? Could it be the homeowners living near the Santa Ritas who don’t want their pretty mountain views blocked? Or is it the tourism industry? I don’t believe her motives are pure and would like to know who is paying her. There has been no transparency with this group, Save the Scenic Santa Ritas and I’d like to know who is funding them. If anyone has any information, please post it so all can see.
What I can speculate about her is that she has money and is comfortable riding off the backs of the poor. After all, who cares if someone is living in poverty thanks to a low paying tourism job? She’s got money and all that matters are her own needs and wants. Same with the rest of the Save the Scenic Santa Rita group. They don’t care about the poor and they certainly haven’t provided opportunities for them. I haven’t seen any evidence of job creation performed by Gayle Hartmann and Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, nope they haven’t done a thing.
And for the rest of the people supporting Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, what have they done to create economic growth? Open a retail store or a restaurant? Sorry, that’s not good enough. We need to bring people out of poverty not force them to suffer with food stamps, medicaid and welfare. You are a cruel bunch of people only concerned about your hiking boots and your own lives.
You don’t like my comments. Tough. That tells me you are narrow minded and ignorant.
I think it is totally possible for a mining company to meet the needs of the Center For Biological Diversity. I know this because I worked for a very good mining company and I’ve seen it happen. And I’ve worked with the the mining reclamation area which is how I know that you are wrong. I’ve seen special areas set aside for wildlife habitat, ranchers allowed to graze their cattle which reduced environmental stress on their own lands and a canyon left untouched for hikers. I’ve seen closed mine sites providing critical habitat for wildlife pushed out by encroaching development. Development, that is homes, cause more damage to the environment than do mine sites. Old, abandoned mine sites provide habitat for bears, bats and other species. I’ve seen bills for saplings, seeds, native fishes and consulting fees for scientists working on reclamation projects. Yes, it is possible for a mining company to work with the Center For Biological Diversity whose arguments are legitimate and based on a scientific approach.
On the other hand, Save the Scenic Ritas has adopted a hard line, almost fanatical zealot stance which is unacceptable. Making a comment about protecting the tourism industry, tells me the group is out to protect the tourism industry. The tourism industry does not have the capability to pull Tucson out of economic distress. Money is spent filing lawsuits instead of working with the mining company. That money could’ve gone to education and the poor instead. This group doesn’t know the meaning of the word cooperation and they’ve done nothing to promote economic growth in Tucson.
Note that I’m not making nasty, rude comments like so many people above have made. Like I said in earlier comment, those people are cruel and their nasty, rude comments only support my observation.
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Great comments. Let me not mince words- I am no democrat or socialist, been in Tucson 40 years, below the poverty line, would not work for a mining company for any reason, and proud of it. My problem with this is that the mine does not own the land they intend to dump on. I love my oil, water copper, air and soil. I use them. I don’t care about 500 people having a job for 10 (or 20 or 50 years), to be left with a poisoned aquifer, blowing heavy metals, and acid tailings pools that will ruin the immediate area for thousands of years, in spite of any bears or ocelots that may pass through deeming it a ” healthy recovered ecosystem”. If they own ALL of the land they intend to use, and are paying a teared water bill like the rest of us, whereby the price goes up with usage, and can prove that the water and air will not be impacted beyond their property, then great, mine away. If we are supposed to pay taxes to preserve land that gets traded away to be dumped on and destroyed, and buy into the “good for the whole community” idea while we pay and hudbay collects, no dice, try again. Not even about the environment, more a private property rights issue.
Rosemont should be mined with underground technology not open pit. Rosemont needs a new owner with a better idea of how to mine this deposit. Take a technology lesson from the coal industry or just call Caterpillar they will send remote controlled equipment that will harvest, process and put what is left back where it came from with very little disturbance of the surface. Copper prices being what they are this is a non issue. There is no demand increase on the horizon.