Forest Service decision upsets local officials

The U.S. Forest Service has denied a request to restart gathering questions and concerns from the public regarding the proposed Rosemont Mine.

The request was issued last month by Democratic U.S. Reps. Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords, whose 7th and 8th Congressional Districts cover most of Southern Arizona, in a letter regarding the “scoping process” of the Rosemont Mine in the Santa Rita Mountains east of Green Valley. The officials claim that the initial process was not clear enough, and resulted in confusion among concerned residents.

“We are troubled by correspondence from our constituents and local government officials reporting confusion as to the purpose of scoping, deadlines for submitting comments, and the delayed or curtailed release of important studies and documents to the public,” the letter said.

In the Forest Service’s response, issued last week, Forest Supervisor Jeanine Derby said that while she understands there may be concerns, the process has worked so far and sees no need to begin anew.

“The current overwhelming success of the scoping process to elicit so many comments from so many perspectives is testament to the depth of public interest,” Derby said in the letter. “It is also proof, I believe, of the effectiveness of the scoping process as conducted thus far.”

According to the letter sent by Grijalva, the announcement for the call for public input was issued on March 13, and contained “confusing information regarding the purpose and need for the project, as well as a limited range of alternatives to be examined.”

Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry feels that it is the Forest Service’s duty to rectify the muddled language used in the initial announcement.

“At minimum, they still need to re-notice and clarify their original notice in the Federal Register regarding the purpose of the meetings and of scoping, because it’s very unclear,” Huckelberry said.

Giffords expressed similar concerns, citing the seemingly lack of action by the Forest Service.

“I’m wholly dissatisfied with the Forest Service’s and the Department of Interior’s approach to the concerns that I’ve brought forward,” Giffords said Thursday. “I think it is largely in disregard to the community, and I want to see our questions answered.”

Giffords was also curious as to how the Forest Service was able to begin the scoping process without a complete and detailed plan of how the mine will be operating, known as a Mine Plan of Operation.

“It’s difficult to understand how they could move forward without an actual plan in place,” she said.

Grijalva said: “I think the Forest Service is being horribly defensive,” he said in an interview. “I sometimes get the impression that they’re there to facilitate the mine’s desires as opposed to being a really objective third party arbiter.”

One of the problems for those opposed to the Rosemont mine is the Mining Law of 1872, which allows for mining claims on federal land. The proposed project lies on 3,670 acres of National Forest System land, according to the Forest Service.

Grijalva said he is not concerned with the legality of the mine at this point.

“That’s not the argument,” he said. “What I’m saying is that the process had flaws from the beginning. We would like to see it redone in a much more coherent and transparent manner.”

Derby said that they would not “abandon” the opinions of those who already contacted the Forest Service.

“We must not discount the efforts of all those who have already gone to exceptional lengths to participate by studying the proposal, traveling to meetings, and providing comments,” Derby said.

At least on this point, Grijalva agrees opinions submitted should remain intact.

“They should be part of the record,” he said. “But the Forest Service should stop what it’s doing now, rethink this whole process, (and) release important and necessary studies and documents that the public hasn’t seen.”

Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll, whose district includes Green Valley, said the Forest Service is facilitating the Rosemont Mine’s completion.

“All the stuff that they asked for was within the power of the forest service to provide,” Carroll said, “so I’m kind of leery about any reason for them to deny, other than to remain on this fast track, which I’m greatly disappointed by,” he said.

Giffords said she is determined to get answers.

“Public pressure will continue. We are not going away,” she said. “It’s critical that the Forest Service responds to the real concerns—the legitimate concerns—that the people of Southern Arizona have in regards to the Rosemont Mine operation.”

editorial@gvnews.com