Rosemont mine faces mounting opposition

The GVCCC is the latest group to back efforts to stop the proposed Rosemont Mine in the northern Santa Rita Mountains. But the company behind the mine says only what the U.S. Forest Service says matters — and that agency has said it can’t block the effort.

The Green Valley Community Coordinating Council board voted unanimously Wednesday to support a letter from U.S. Reps. Gabrielle Giffords and Raul Grijalva urging the Forest Service to take a stand against the controversial copper mining operation.

State Game and Fish has said the mine would destroy wildlife habitat while residents and businesses have questioned the mine’s drain on the already precarious water table in the Santa Cruz Valley. Other opponents include Farmers Investment Co., which owns the pecan groves in the area. Tucson Electric Power recently presented a roadblock when it denied electricity along a transmission cooridor favored by the mine.

Wednesday’s GVCCC vote came at the request of Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll, whose District 4 includes Green Valley.

Last week, Coronado National Forest officials posted a document online saying they could not legally block Canadian-based Augusta Resource Corp. from using its forest land for the Rosemont operation.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry asked Giffords and Grijalva to appeal to the secretary of agriculture, who oversees the Forest Service, to override the agency’s interpretation of the law.

The June 8 letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said, “We ask that you direct the Forest Service to remain open to the possibility that their analysis will result in a ‘no action’ recommendation,” which in essence is a rejection of the mine. The letter said Congress gave the Forest Service authority to regulate mining “to prevent destruction of the national forests” as far back as 1897.

Rosemont CEO Rod Pace said Thursday that he isn’t put off by the opposition.

“My opinion is that it’s a Forest Service matter, and the Forest Service can take care of it,” he said.

With the nearly unanimous opposition from local officials and environmental groups such as Save The Scenic Santa Ritas, the coordinating council’s support of the letter is just the latest blow to Rosemont. The GVCCC officially came out against the mine in 2007, soon after Pima County announced its opposition.

While communities closer to the mine site along State Route 83 are concerned about damage to tourism, increased traffic, and impact on wildlife, the key issue for Green Valley and Sahuarita is the mine’s effect on the already sinking water table in Santa Cruz County.

Pace said Rosemont is “taking care of its commitment to the water issue” and is “committed to putting back 105 percent of what we take out of the ground” through Central Arizona Project water.

Pace also said that several groups support the mine and the jobs it would bring, such as the AMIGOS (Arizona Mining & Industry Get Out Support). He also said mine proponents have created an online forum, Friends of Rosemont Copper, which claims thousands of supporters. But local, on-the-ground support is virtually non-existent.

The GVCCC received a letter from Augusta Resource last week requesting to speak to its members; the company has been invited to speak at the September board of director’s meeting.

GVCCC Director Stan Riddle said the group would give Augusta the same treatment it gave Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, which spoke at a meeting this year.

A decision from the Forest Service on the mine is expected in 2010, and Augusta expects to start mining in late 2011.

jrichardson@gvnews.com | 547-9726