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The Forest Service has rolled back a decision that would have cleared the way for one of the largest copper mines in the U.S., but the project is still on the table.
Resolution Copper plans to use a block cave technique that will drill nearly 7,000 feet deep to extract copper.
Although block cave mining has been done before, that depth is blazing new territory.
A group of Superior residents has raised a number of objections to the mine.
They call themselves the Concerned Citizens and Retired Miner’s Coalition.
“A lot of people in Superior don’t know what block cave mining is all about," said Henry Munoz, the group’s chairman. "They’re all, they’re used to grandpa’s mine. The old style, ya know.”
The block cave method would eventually cause an area in Tonto National Forest to collapse, creating a hole nearly two miles across and more than 800 feet deep.
