Input Stories

The recently published final environmental impact statement that advances Rio Tinto’s Resolution Copper mine project in Arizona is welcome—and a crucial next step in getting the operation up and running, the NAM said this week.

What’s going on: “The FEIS is the product of more than a decade of detailed scientific and cultural review and consultation under the National Environmental Policy Act and many other applicable federal and state laws,” NAM Vice President of Domestic Policy Chris Phalen told Tonto National Forest Acting Forest Supervisor Erika Luna and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins.

• “Resolution Copper is expected to create thousands of high-paying jobs and generate billions of dollars in economic activity for Arizona and the broader U.S. economy. These benefits will be realized while adhering to stringent environmental protections and reclamation commitments.”
• The project has been in the works for 12 years.

Critical for competition: The mine site is the world’s third-largest known deposit of copper and could supply up to one-quarter of U.S. demand for the mineral.

• “Copper is a critical material for manufacturing—both as a raw material input to products and industrial machinery and to the energy manufacturing, generation and delivery which manufacturers help build and rely upon for their operations,” Phalen said, adding that “[c]opper is especially vital as the U.S. continues to work to outcompete China to achieve energy dominance.”  

The background: The U.S. Forest Service published the NAM-supported FEIS in late June, touching off a federally mandated 60-day period for the government to transfer to Rio Tinto more than 2,000 acres of Tonto National Forest land for use in the mining operation in exchange for high-value conservation lands across the state owned by Rio Tinto.

• The Supreme Court cleared the way for the transfer in May.

What’s next: Following a public comment period, the USFS has 90 days to respond and address any concerns. After that, Rio Tinto and project partner BHP Billiton Ltd. will receive a final record of decision, and the government can issue an approved project plan.