On Tuesday the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gave final biological approval to the proposed Rosemont copper mine, saying the only known jaguar in the United States, El Jefe—and other species living in the Santa Rita Mountains—will be able to coexist with the mine.
In the same opinion—which is a rewrite of a 2013 report—Fish and Wildlife acknowledges that the mine will significantly impact the habitat of many of the species in the area. Fish and Wildlife had to issue a revised biological opinion after a rare video of El Jefe roaming the mountains near Tucson surfaced earlier this year.
Fish and Wildlife says several methods will be adopted—such as hiring a biologist to monitor wildlife in the Santa Ritas and setting up a program to remove invasive species—to help mitigate any negative impacts Rosemont has on the species.
The Center for Biological Diversity was appalled by Fish and Wildlife’s approval of the mine.
The Rosemont biological opinion has gone through multiple iterations. It was first released more than two years ago and then retracted. The conclusions regarding the jaguar in the final document released today remain largely the same as in the previous version. Documents obtained by the Center through the Freedom of Information Act showed that, in four different drafts of the previous document, agency scientists concluded that the mine would cause unacceptable harm to the jaguar, but their conclusions were reversed at higher levels of the agency.
“The agency charged with protecting America’s most vulnerable wildlife thinks it’s just fine for a foreign mining company to harm our only known jaguar,” said Randy Serraglio, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, in a statement. “This outrageous decision, which was contradicted by the agency’s own scientists, will not withstand judicial scrutiny.”
“This is just the latest example of a very disturbing trend—politics continues to trump science when it comes to protecting America’s disappearing wildlife,” he added. “There is no rational justification for approving this incredibly destructive mine in this very sensitive place, especially when copper mines are closing down as the industry continues to free fall with an existing over-supply of copper.”
This article appears in Apr 28 – May 4, 2016.
Gee, it makes one wonder if someone in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is accepting bribes. What a crock of shit.
Slowing but surely, the process of approving the Rosemont project is proceeding to its final conclusion. Years of scientific studies have conclusively demonstrated this project will not have the exaggerated impacts its opponents claim.
Using random animals to halt business and eliminate jobs may be coming to a halt. These groups that sue are wasting taxpayers money. Maybe they should be sued.
““The agency charged with protecting America’s most vulnerable wildlife thinks it’s just fine for a foreign mining company to harm our only known jaguar,” said Randy Serraglio, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity…”
So it appears Randy hates foreigners. Why does he assume harm?
He makes it very apparent what the problem is with conservationists. They make their case like lawyers. Lie when needed.
Rat, the sound like lawyers because they are lawyers. Approximately 50% of the Center for Biological Diversity are are lawyers. 30% are fund raisers and advocates like Randy have no professional training in science and engineering. They really don’t know what they are talking about.
And yet they sue our government and steal our future.
You are right. Look what they’ve done:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1355901/posts
There are an army of professionally trained scientists and engineers who recognize the proposed Rosemont Open Pit Mine as the devastation it really is. The opinion by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service is a political opinion, NOT scientific. This federal agency is notorious for green washing destructive projects, like Rosemont.
Randy Serraglio is one of the most knowledgeable individuals in the United States and is 100% correct about Rosemont.
This proposed mine is a terrible idea that will wipe out water resources in a large area of Southern Arizona, including surface waters, as well as ground water depletion. The wildlife in the area, including endangered species, will suffer irreversible negative consequences, if this mine actually goes through.
I look forward to vigorous litigation to stop it and plan to donate money to support suing to stop the mine for the benefit of wildlife, of people who live near the mine site and to support real estate values near the site.
Real estate values near the mine site will plummet, if the mine goes through.
Sure, the proposed mine will wipe out water resources, etc. But 5 million more people in Arizona will do far more damage – that’s the expected population growth over the next 50 years. Yet you never hear any of these environmental groups talking about US immigration policy which is what is causing population growth in the United States.
You could build 20 Rosemont Copper mines and not do half the damage that 5 million more people will cause to the environment in Arizona. But not a peep.
Ricardo Small you need to stop hating on the government and start trusting them more. Your comments make no sense.
Close one mine and open another. I’m always amazed how we allow big corporations to rape the land for profit and when the profits decline they walk away leaving us to live with the ugly scar.
We don’t need a cooper mine that will rip a giant hole in the mountain that will NEVER recover. This doesn’t even address the heavy metals and chemical wastes flowing down hill into our limited water resources. Tailings are still piled, unreclaimed, around all our other pits. You can’t undo this damage. As for jobs, this isn’t going to produce enough jobs to warrant the unmitigated damage.
A common sense decision by the US Fish and Wildlife bunch!! Please pass the smelling salts!!
However, Katie, Jack and Ricardo, as noted above, seem to have missed the fact that all true wealth is derived from the natural resources God has blessed us with. For Arizona, copper is a mainstay and should be developed in responsable way, as HudBay will do.
Our history as a great state is founded on the basis of copper exploitation and it is my sincere hope that it will continue so that we – Arizona and America will stop exporting the god jobs to other countries.
My congratulations to the US Fish and Wildlife Service for their wise decision.
No Jimmy, I enjoy making people like you uneasy by telling the truth.
May the Force be with you.
any chance that the spotted cats were lured into the area by mine opponents?
@bisbee
Agree brother 100 percent
In fact the so called “waste” produced by the copper mines has actually been shown to be healthy for humans to bathe in, irritate crops with, and even drink…
The Chinese have it right by having no environmental regulations—as a result their country has grown tremendously and in fact is one of the LEAST polluted in the world.
DIRKY, you are making up stuff. China? One of the least polluted? Ha!! That’s why the Chinese wear air filters to go outside, huh? Least polluted my ass, you fool. Environmental laws have cleaned up a lot in the United States, and you are one of the beneficiaries of those laws. The proposed Rosemont Open Pit Copper Mine is a noxious project that must not be allowed to go through. I am sending as much money as I can to the groups that will sue to help fund lawsuits to halt this lousy boondoggle.
The price of copper will determine if the mine becomes a reality… And guess what … The price of copper just took a dive! As for the Center for Biological Debauchery… Well they’re just a bunch of (misguided) lawyers trying to make a difference and the big cat could care less about either!
Everyone’s efforts would be much more effective simply by taking a few hours break from the keyboards and lawsuits… picking up all the trash the illegal crossers leave behind along our border… You know… Get off your dead butts and make a difference you can see immediately! Perhaps a few more Jaguars wouldn’t be such a bad idea along the border!