Tribal leaders and environmentalists are asking the Bureau of Land Management to reverse course on a southern Arizona mining project it green-lit at the end of June.
The Copper Creek Exploration Project is the beginning stage of what could become an open-pit copper mine across a roughly 25 square mile stretch near a portion of the San Pedro River in the Galiuro mountain range northeast of Tucson.
The BLM released its assessment on the project’s environmental impact on June 30, allowed the mining company to set up 67 drill sites in the area.
Russ McSpadden is with the Center for Biological Diversity. The group partnered with the San Carlos Apache Tribe and others to draft a letter this week asking the BLM to reconsider.
"I would say this letter, this appeal, is a legal leverage, it lays the groundwork for potential future litigation by documenting BLM’s failures," he said. "It gives the Arizona state director an opportunity to really dig in what the BLM Safford Field Office did in this Environmental Assessment, to look at our arguments, and our concerns."
The groups argue the BLM's Safford Office, which conducted the assessment, didn't fully consider the project's impacts on surface water, groundwater, and wildlife habitat as is required by federal laws like the National Environmental Protection Act.
They also say the agency failed to meaningfully consult with the San Carlos Apache Tribe, another requirement under federal law.
The BLM did not respond to questions about the letter or the environmental assessment.
