The $1.9 billion Rosemont Mine project southeast of Tucson has been facing questions of whether it will damage two Arizona streams.
Now, Canadian company Hudbay Minerals is asking the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) for more, including a full review of required water standards in the state.
At the request of Hudbay, ADEQ will review the state’s past decisions to protect 22 streams, including Davidson Canyon and Cienega Creek near Tucson, according to the Arizona Daily Star.
Hudbay’s letter and the state’s response has raised concerns from Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry that Hudbay wants to remove key protections for the two waterways. They and the other Outstanding Arizona Waters are supposed to be legally protected from pollution that degrades their quality.
Last week, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 to oppose removing those protections.
In a letter to ADEQ, Huckelberry accused Hudbay of trying to weaken protection for the streams to make it easier to get a federal permit to build the mine.
