I am writing to refute a few ‘facts’ that appeared in a letter to the editor on Feb. 25, 2015 from Apache Nation Tribal Member Tina Mull. She was concerned that the Land Exchange Bill passed by Congress in December would not require a NEPA by Resolution Copper by way of the U.S. Forest Service and that valuable cultural and environmental issues would not be studied at Oak Flat because of that. She is correct on only a FEW items. True, it is not a NEPA if the U.S. Government doe not own the land, BUT! An EIS (which is basically the same thing as an NEPA done at the private level and still headed by the Forest Service) is still required by the Federal Government before the Land Exchange is fully approved and the land belongs to Resolution. Essentially, the SAME THING will be done, just with different wording attached: EIS instead of NEPA. The EIS will study the water, the cultural significances (if any), the biological factors, and the rest of the environmental aspects of the land at Oak Flat. It isn’t going to be ramrodded down anyone’s throat and I think Senator McCain should be congratulated on getting this legislation through instead of excoriated.
That is one thing that really bothers me about the Opposition to the Resolution Copper project. They get one small fact out there and embroider on it to make it look ominous and awful without fully stating what will ACTUALLY be done, just to get the public upset about it. If the Opposition bothered to tell the truth, we wouldn’t have to refute them all the time!
/s/ Nancy Vogler
Superior Resident of only 8 years, but willing to listen to the Truth!