While the Trump administration is looking to bolster domestic mineral production by prioritizing approval for the controversial Resolution Copper project about 60 miles east of the Valley, opponents are trying to delay that process.
The multinational mining company Resolution Copper could get access a 1.4 billion metric ton ore body sitting beneath Oak Flat — a site some Apaches consider sacred — as early as mid-June. But the Becket Fund, a D.C.-based law firm representing the nonprofit Apache Stronghold, has filed an emergency motion.
They’re asking the U.S. Forest Service to refrain from publishing the final environmental impact statement — until the U.S. Supreme Court completes its review. That would delay a congressionally-approved federal land transfer needed for mining to begin.
Meanwhile, Apache Stronghold is still awaiting for a decision on its petition, which is based on a religious freedom claim, and has been conferenced 12 times by the nine SCOTUS justices since November.
Arizona District Court Judge Steven Logan will determine whether to issue a temporary injunction during a hearing next Wednesday, May 7, at the Sandra Day O'Connor U.S. Courthouse in Phoenix.
