“I’ve almost no words to describe what Canadian mining giant Hudbay is doing to the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson, AZ,” said Russ McSpadden of the Center for Biological Diversity. “The first 20 seconds of the video show the Rosemont side, then the ridge line, then the west side. Hudbay plans to remove 2.5 miles of the ridge line — mountain top removal.”
- Hudbay of Canada’s controversial Rosemont open-pit copper mine in southern Arizona’s Santa Rita Mountains was shut down on the east slope after a Forest Service approval was rejected in court. The “Rosemont decision” has had a widespread impact on other mine projects nationally.
- However, the company bought vast acres on the west side for its Copper World project over the last 18 months.
- Extensive grading started, but in February, all work stopped.
- The company now plans to use 13 million gallons of groundwater a day!
Listen to Jeff Herr on June 27
Find out how to stop the disastrous Rosemont Mine by attending the Tuesday, June 27 meeting of LD18. Jeff Herr of Save the Scenic Santa Ritas will talk about the status of lawsuits filed by SSSR, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, the Tohono O’odham Nation and other groups with the goal of stopping the Rosemont Mine. Click to get the Zoom link for the meeting.
Jeff Herr and three colleagues started a software company (TapClicks) in San Jose that offers digital marketing analytics. He then led digital for the Durango Herald and was publisher of a group of newspapers in Missouri before returning home. He is now the owner and publisher of Catalina Foothills Lifestyle magazine.
The mine, a project of Hudbay Minerals, Inc., was proposed to be sited in the Rosemont Valley, planned to be a mile wide, a mile-and-a-half long and more than 3,000 feet deep. Billions of tons of toxic waste excavated from the pit would be piled 600 to 800 feet high on thousands of acres of public lands surrounding the privately owned copper deposit, fouling the air and water and permanently damaging and destroying thousands of acres of habitat that supports a rich diversity of wildlife.
The Rosemont Mone does come to pass, insatiable groundwater pumping at the mine would lower the regional aquifer and possibly dry up nearby Cienega Creek, home to two endangered fish — the Gila chub and Gila topminnow — plus the Chiricahua leopard frog, southwestern willow flycatcher, Huachuca water umbel, and two species that recently earned Endangered Species protection, the northern Mexican garter snake and yellow-billed cuckoo.
The aquifer in the Rosemont Valley also supplies the Tucson basin with 20 percent of its natural groundwater recharge every year — a significant contribution to the city’s drinking-water supply that would be directly threatened by the mine’s pollution and vast groundwater pumping.
Click to get the Zoom link for the meeting — Tuesday June 27, 2023 at 6:30 pm.
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Unbelievable. Southern Arizona will be the West Virginia of the West. Only without enough drinking water and without that good, sorrowful mountain music.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIFPqTjRlCA
That is where the Republicans want to take Arizona. But we can stop it from happening. The time is now to get active, sign up to be a volunteer and apply to be a precinct committee person.
Indeed, Larry. Getting the word out is crucial to stopping greedy, irresponsible corporations and incompetent, shortsighted GOP lawmakers.
Here’s a 3 minute video (on the Smithsonian channel) about mountain top removal in WV that really should scare the snot out of people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5RcbPZXU
link correction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5RcbPZXUZo&t=18s
If the mine will cause the environmental damage that is alleged here, it will not be approved by the Biden-EPA. I am ok with that. If not, then it is hypocritical of people who use copper-reliant technologies to read this blog and promote clean energy initiatives, such as electric cars and wind power, that are also copper intensive to oppose mining copper.
Regarding out-of-state and out-of-country companies using our water and other resources, such as the Saudi farm, to export products, don’t we rely on outside products too. Should we shut down the Saudi farm? If so, should they cut us off from their oil? If we do not want people outside of Arizona to consume Arizona crops, should we ban exports and refuse imports? Kiss goodbye to California produce and Idaho potatoes not to mention out-of-state beef and milk.
Regarding the Saudi farm, the main issues are is their pumping depleting the aquifer below. We do not know because we do not monitor such wells and I do support such monitoring. The second issue is is the state land trust give them a sweetheart deal? I requested the AZ Auditor general to investigate that and I await their finding.
Come back, Sharpie. Don’t leave us alone with JGCK.
John Government Checks Kavanagh has a tell.
Notice how he’s always trying to catch liberals being “hypocrites”.
That’s the tell.
This is known as consciousness of guilt, also as projecting. His internal dialogue voice knows he’s full of shit, but he keeps hoping he can catch others being full of shit to feel better about himself.
This is related to his other favorite tactic – good old Soviet style “whataboutism”.
The issue of modern life relying on copper and people wanting to protect the environment is more complicated that he pretends, and he knows that.
I mean, he can’t really compare protecting Arizona’s water supply, aka “The Thing That Keeps Us Alive”, with importing oil with a straight face.
He’s literally trying to pull off “You can have gasoline or water not both”. Really, Government Checks?
This is known as the “false dilemma” fallacy. When someone uses the false dilemma fallacy they are both admitting they’re full of shit and that they don’t respect their audience.
The rest of his reply seems to be talking points, probably from ALEC or something similar.
Oh, well, since we’re about to run out of Idaho potatoes, how about we send that tater money to RaicesTexasDotOrg?
Raices provides free or low cost legal help to immigrants.
Hey, what do you know? Those are the same immigrants who pick them taters!
You know, I was going to sign off with “good lord, Kavanagh is an idiot”, but after further consideration, he’s made a life for himself using government money while preaching against government money.
Clever, really. And not at all HYPOCRITICAL. 🙂
Now, I need to go find something productive to do. The endless Ground Hog Day news cycle is distracting and not healthy, and I spend way too much time on losers like JGCK.
PS and FYI, John, be careful, asking a bunch of liberals if they want us to stop importing oil that is destroying the climate and comes from a murderous regime may not get the response you hope for.
Dumbass.
This blog is the home of the ad hominem attack as opposed to actually discussing issues intelligently. But I do have fun exposing that intellectual failing.
John, where did I do any ad homineming?
Reading comprehension, JGCK, we’ve talked about this before.
I did a free, no charge, highly detailed and very semi-professional psychiatric evaluation of your use of the word “hypocrite”, then mocked your debating style, and then stuck the landing pointing out what a hypocrite you are.
Here’s what I didn’t bring up in my reply to you:
John Kavanagh said —- “Regarding out-of-state and out-of-country companies using our water and other resources, such as the Saudi farm, to export products, don’t we rely on outside products too. Should we shut down the Saudi farm? If so, should they cut us off from their oil?”
Out of country? Sounds like globalism to me, John Government Checks Kavanagh.
Well, we know you’d cave to Putin, and now we know you’d cave to the Saudis.
So much for America First.
One last thing, you really should have more respect for the taxpayers who have been sending you checks for the last few decades.
Hypocrite and ingrate is a bad look, galaxy brain.
FYI – Calling you galaxy brain isn’t ad hominem, it’s just a plain old insult.
Because you’re a bad person who does bad things to families and children and I don’t like you.
RaicesTexasDotOrg
This entire reply is an ad hominem attack.
Some see ad homineming, others see quality satire and legitimate criticism!
But mostly we see you, a dude who doesn’t get it either way.
Good to know you stand by your “Arizona can have our own water or Saudi oil but not both?” stance.
Weird that you whine about the mocking but don’t want to defend your very, very weird statement defending the Saudis draining our groundwater.
It’s okay, John Government Checks Kavanagh, we didn’t expect much from you so we’re not disappointed.
What is surprising is you expecting respect, when you’re just a small minded racist POS who comes here to lie and spin and repeat whatever ALEC and multinational corporations tell you to say.
Sending Arizona’s water to the people who funded 9/11.
Wow. John. Just wow.
RaicesTexasDotOrg
“But I do have fun exposing that intellectual failing.”
Indeed, Johnny, you do seem to think you’re the smartest guy in the room.
But your comment above is so completely ludicrous that discussion is futile. According to you, to engage in import/export trade or promote technologies that require copper AZ citizens must be willing to recklessly deplete the state’s resources (including water) and sacrifice mountains and wildlife. Otherwise they are hypocrites.
Did I misunderstand your position?
I’ll tell you truthfully that it’s been so long since I’ve heard a Republican politician say anything intelligent that I can’t remember when it was.
But you really seem to be enjoying your self-delusion.
Yep, ol’ Government Checks Kavanagh does this all the time. He’ll stop by, make some ludicrous comment, and when he can’t back up what he said, he declares victory, takes his ball and bat and goes home.
I’m trying to figure out where he got his talking points from. I suspect ALEC, but it could be the Chamber of Commerce or some trade group rep’ing the copper companies.
On the other hand, his comment is so devoid of logic it’s possible he came up with them himself.
I’d be great if he worked for the good of Arizona instead of global, multi-national corporations and out of state Kansas billionaires.
RaicesTexasDotOrg.
My water comments were primarily directed at the Saudi farm. Care to come to comment on that? I said if the criticism of the copper mine was founded, it would be shut down.
This you?
“Regarding out-of-state and out-of-country companies using our water and other resources, such as the Saudi farm, to export products, don’t we rely on outside products too. Should we shut down the Saudi farm? If so, should they cut us off from their oil? If we do not want people outside of Arizona to consume Arizona crops, should we ban exports and refuse imports? Kiss goodbye to California produce and Idaho potatoes not to mention out-of-state beef and milk.”
The sheer amount of nonsense is this comment is epic.
We’ve asked you several times here about your posing the water or oil question.
So sure, let’s treat you like a reasonable person and give you a chance to clarify your comment.
Please remember you work for Arizona, not the Saudi’s.
FFS, Johnny, we’ve already had this discussion about the Saudi farms weeks ago.
Maybe this video will help you understand why the Saudi farms are contributing to the water crisis in AZ. Nobody is denying decades of mismanagement and lack of oversight in AZ. But at what point do we demand corrective actions? When we’re rationing drinking water or before?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-45g994Ryc
Good link, Liza, here’s one from 2016.
The blog troll has been sleeping at the wheel for at least 9 years.
https://www.pbs.org/video/arizona-horizon-water-issuessaudi-arabian-farming-arizona/
Excellent documentary, Sharpie, and it’s already 7 years since they made it. It’s clear how it got to this point, lack of water management and regulations in rural areas, but FFS it’s time for drastic statewide policy decisions. People need to understand that what might appear to local problems actually have longer term consequences for the entire region. The lack of foresight here in AZ is stunning.
I said if the mine causes the damage alleged, it will be shutdown by Biden. I do not want to see environmental carnage, if your claims are true. You misstated my position . Fel free to apologize.
He’s not going to address the water for oil comment he made because he knows it makes no sense.
Loser.
Two days…still no explanation of why John Government Checks Kavanagh thinks we can have water, or oil, but not both.
Loser.
Well, Sharpie, perhaps JGCK is engaged in celebrating the end of Affirmative Action. This is a big day for White Supremacy.
Destroying the Santa Ritas for a Canadian company, sucking up precious groundwater for Saudi alfalfa growers; all done because some of our leaders value foreign corporate profits over Arizonans’ quality of life. Now that’s disgraceful!