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This month, Congress approved and the President signed into law legislation that paves the way for the expansion of the Resolution Copper Mine in Superior, Arizona. I’m extremely proud to have worked as a team with my Arizona colleagues in the Senate and House, most notably Senator Jeff Flake, Congressman Paul Gosar, and Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, to advance this legislation.
The Resolution Copper Mine is a tremendous opportunity for Arizona and the United States both economically and strategically. This project will tap the largest copper deposit ever discovered in North America. Over time, it will produce 25 percent of U.S copper demand. Perhaps most importantly, the mine will create an estimated 3,700 mining and mining-related jobs and generate over $61 billion in economic activity over 60 years, according to an independent study by respected financial analysts at Elliot D. Pollak & Company. That is the economic equivalent of Arizona hosting two Super Bowls every year for more than half a century.
Arizona is the nation’s top copper-producing state and the Town of Superior is part of that legacy. In fact, the Resolution Copper Mine is built on top of Superior’s old Magma Mine which, before its closure in 1996, employed generations of town residents and San Carlos Apache Tribe members. The mine site was reopened in 2004 as the Resolution Copper Mine after billions of dollars in capital investment brought new technologies that made it possible to bore deeper into the ore body. However, in order to maximize production and job growth, the mine must expand its footprint onto adjacent Forest Service property.
Nearly ten years ago, Senator Kyl and I first introduced a bill known as the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act, which proposed to transfer to approximately 2,400 acres of Forest Service land to Resolution Copper so that the mine could grow. In exchange, the company would transfer to the federal government about 5,000 acres of the company’s most environmentally-significant land located throughout the state.
Unfortunately, our bill was stalled for many years over concerns raised by a number environmental groups, some of whom take a hard-line position against mining. At the same time, Native American tribes began voicing speculation about the mine’s potential to damage nearby areas. While the land exchange does not involve any Indian lands or federally-recognized sacred sites, tribes worried that the majestic Apache Leap Cliff—celebrated by Apache folklore—could somehow be impacted by the mine.
Years of Congressional hearings were held in both chambers of Congress to examine these and other concerns. After much negotiation, a bipartisan, bicameral compromise bill was added to the National Defense Authorization Act this December. This was entirely appropriate, given that copper is the second most-utilized metal by the Defense Department and is necessary for supplying our armed forces with equipment, ammunition, and electronics.
But it is important to note that the land exchange bill enacted by Congress contains several key bipartisan concessions that make it fundamentally different from the original bill. First, the mine will be required to undergo a full environmental impact study before any land is officially traded. Second, the bill mitigates Native American concerns over the loss of a Forest Service campsite, known as Oak Flat Campground, where traditional activities are occasionally organized. As a condition of the land exchange, tribes can continue to use Oak Flat for many years until the company needs to mine underneath it. Finally, the bill forbids the mine from damaging Apache Leap and designates the cliffs as a Forest Service special management area, placing it under permanent federal protection.
I respect the views of environmental advocates and Native Americans. But I also believe that this legislation strikes the right balance in allowing the mine to move forward while addressing their concerns. Arizona is ready for this mine, and Resolution Copper is ready to hire from surrounding communities and tribal members whenever possible, as they’ve publicly pledged. I’m very proud that by working together, we were able to advance this crucial project, one that will contribute to Arizona’s economic prosperity throughout the 21st century.
There are news or informational items frequently written by staff or submitted to the Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner, Superior Sun, Pinal Nugget or Oracle Towne Crier for inclusion in our print or digital products. These items are not credited with an author.
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