The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality is hosting a public hearing Thursday in the city of Benson — south of Tucson. This will be one of the last public events held by the agency about an aluminum plant that’s proposed there.
A company called Dynamic Aluminum is asking ADEQ to grant an air permit for the roughly 200-acre plant where aluminum would be processed and sent to the company’s mill in Ohio to be turned into recycled goods.
Opponents of the project say it will pump toxic emissions into the air and also threaten groundwater, which sustains homes and feeds the San Pedro River.
A petition asking ADEQ to reject the project has garnered almost 2,500 signatures. ADEQ’s public comment portal — which closes Thursday — has gotten dozens of responses raising concerns about air quality and the impact the project will have on the river.
A spokesperson with ADEQ says it will consider all public input and the EPA will also assess the plan later on.
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Mayes first filed a lawsuit against the park last year. She said management didn’t tell residents about a faulty electrical system, which led to frequent power outages during dangerous summer heat. -
Union members working for CVS Pharmacies in Arizona have unanimously voted to take a step toward striking should contract negotiations fail. -
Tonto National Forest will be closing Canyon Lake later next month so the Bureau of Reclamation and SRP can conduct dam safety inspections and maintenance. -
Coal-fired power generation jumped 13% in the U.S. last year, according to a recent report from the federal Energy Information Administration. That helped push carbon emissions from the power sector up about 4% — the first rise after years of declining emissions. -
![The Long family [clockwise from top left] Joni Lapahie, Dáilan Long, Jona Lapahie, Emma Long and Emery Long.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/ac75967/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2246+0+389/resize/280x156!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8c%2F3e%2Fcb7758794c59b588da1f9a3323b8%2Flong-family-household-burnham-nm-gp-202602.jpg)
Coal has long been the economic bedrock of the Navajo Nation, which owns deposits in Wyoming, Montana and New Mexico. Now, the tribe is asking the Trump administration to dramatically expand the life — and size — of an operational coal mine that could uproot the lives of some Navajo families. And their longtime homes — literally.
![The Long family [clockwise from top left] Joni Lapahie, Dáilan Long, Jona Lapahie, Emma Long and Emery Long.](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/8f96e94/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2246+0+389/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F8c%2F3e%2Fcb7758794c59b588da1f9a3323b8%2Flong-family-household-burnham-nm-gp-202602.jpg)
