After a lengthy legal challenge, a massive copper mining project is poised to begin atop a sacred Apache site within the Tonto National Forest. This week, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals denied the latest pleas to save the area known as Oak Flat — but not without pointed remarks from dissenting judges.
Back in March, the U.S. Forest Service transferred ownership of more than 2,400 acres to Resolution Copper — following a 2-1 ruling by a panel of 9th Circuit judges that legally cleared the way for the land exchange to be finalized between the federal government and the multinational mining company.
Congress had already approved the controversial deal a decade ago.
So when the 9th Circuit declined to revisit the court’s decision once more, Resolution Copper touted it as “yet another ruling” in the company’s favor, according to a statement sent to KJZZ following the recent denial.
But 11 judges from the 9th Circuit — the nation’s largest appellate court — are now urging the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene. Including Chief Judge Mary Murguia, who wrote in one opinion that the 9th Circuit missed a second chance to fix what she called “a tragic error.”
The Center for Biological Diversity, Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, Inter Tribal Association of Arizona, Earthworks, Access Fund and Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club were among the plaintiffs.
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New research shows the ancient site is much older than previously thought. In fact, it’s now confirmed to be the oldest known scientifically dated geoglyph in the Americas, 2,000 years older than the first Pyramids built in Egypt. -
While the Navajo Nation heavily relies upon coal revenue, activists argue the trade-offs aren’t worth it — namely risks to groundwater and even the uprooting of some long-time Navajo families and burials. -
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a measure out of its upper chamber that would transform the Chiricahua National Monument into the Grand Canyon State’s newest national park. -
A mining company executive said the proposal to dig for copper is effectively stalled unless the community changes its mind. -
It’s been more than 150 years, but a small piece of Arizona land has been returned to the Apache people. The Oklahoma-based Fort Sill Apache Tribe recently bought 55 acres of land in the Dragoon Mountains in Southeastern Arizona.
