Stop Rosemont mobilization action: Thursday, August 1st

The Rosemont mine would be built above the Cienaga Creek that feeds into Tucson's aquifer 

UPDATE: August 1, 2019

 Federal judge bars Rosemont Mine construction
- Tony Davis Arizona Daily Star

U.S. District Judge James Soto heard oral arguments Tuesday on several cases related to the Rosemont Copper Mine, including a request by mine opponents for a preliminary injunction to halt construction until all other court cases challenging the mine are decided.

The main disagreement at the preliminary injunction hearing was whether the Army Corps of Engineers has the responsibility and authority to regulate downstream secondary and cumulative impacts from dredge and fill operations on the mine site.

Attorneys for tribes and environmental groups who oppose the mine argued that the agency has that authority. They argue that when the Army Corps of Engineers granted the mine's 404 permit under the Clean Water Act, it didn’t adequately analyze related impacts, including dewatering and polluting nearby water sources.

The attorney for the Army Corps of Engineers disputes that claim and says the Forest Service is the main regulatory agency for the mining project, and pointed to proposed mitigation for those impacts on Sonoita Creek.

Opponents also criticized Rosemont and the Army Corps of Engineers for insufficient public notice and financial guarantees on the mine project.

Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, the Center for Biological Diversity, the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition and the Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter have filed suit against the Army Corps of Engineers over that 404 permit. In April, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted to back the lawsuit.

The Tohono O'odham, Pascua Yaqui and Hopi tribes oppose the project over concerns it would damage ancestral homelands, and have filed a lawsuit challenging the Forest Service decision to approve the final environmental impact statement for the mine.

The judge took all cases under advisement. He will make a decision on the injunction by Aug. 1.

More Information:

https://www.sustainablelivingtucson.com/2018/10/find-out-whats-up-with-proposed.html

Tell Congress: Permanently protect the Grand Canyon from uranium mining

(notice the river just below)

The petition to Congress reads: "Pass the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act to permanently protect the Grand Canyon and nearby areas from uranium and other mining activities." Add your name:

Although the Obama administration issued a 20-year moratorium on mining at the Grand Canyon because of the danger it posed to wildlife, water and sacred Native sites, the uranium mining industry sees an opportunity with a new administration to overturn the ban and restart mining in one of our nation's most precious and fragile areas.The Grand Canyon, one of our nation's most iconic national parks, turned 100 years old this year, yet mining special interests – with the help of the Trump administration – are clamoring to start exploiting its natural resources for profit and pollute the environment with radioactive material. But we can stop them. New legislation recently introduced by progressive champion Rep. Raul Grijalva would permanently protect the Grand Canyon and the areas around it from uranium mining and other destructive extractive activity.1 We must build massive public support to ensure Congress passes this incredibly important legislation immediately. Tell Congress: Permanently protect the Grand Canyon from uranium mining. Click here to sign the petition. For more than 50 years, the mining industry has extracted millions of tons of uranium ore from the Grand Canyon area and left behind toxic pollution that continues to threaten plants, animals, scarce groundwater supplies and sacred tribal sites.2 Unbelievably, for the last 20 years, tourists who visited Grand Canyon National Park may have been unknowingly exposed to dangerous levels of radiation caused by improperly stored uranium.3 Eager to restart mining in the area, the uranium mining industry – with the support of Western state Republicans in Congress who are intent on handing over public lands to Big Oil and other extractive companies – challenged the Obama administration's moratorium in a protracted legal battle, but ultimately lost late last year.4 This was a huge victory for Native leaders, environmentalists and public lands advocates, but the fight is far from over: The Trump administration could now easily rescind the ban via executive order.5 That's why Rep. Grijalva's bill is so important. The Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act would permanently protect approximately 1 million acres in and around the Grand Canyon from extractive mining activities and has broad support from a coalition of environmental and conservation groups, elected officials and Native leaders from the Havasupai and Hopi tribes and the Navajo Nation.6 As Clark Tenakhongva, vice chairman of the Hopi Tribe, put it, "The legacy of uranium mining has devastated the people and the land, and continues to destroy the land and lives of Hopisinom, Native Americans, and Americans alike."7 We must demand that Congress protect the Grand Canyon area from mining activities permanently. Click the link below to sign the petition: https://act.credoaction.com/sign/grand-canyon-mining?t=9&akid=31852%2E3130208%2EymFyTt - Josh Nelson, CREDO Action Add your name: References Kathleen B. Kunz, "Rep. Grijalva Wants a Permanent Moratorium on Mining Near the Grand Canyon," Tucson Weekly, Feb. 25, 2019. Grand Canyon Trust, "Uranium Mining," accessed March 8, 2019. Dennis Wagner, "Grand Canyon tourists exposed for years to radiation in museum building, safety manager says," Arizona Republic, Feb. 18, 2019. Amber Reimondo, "A Huge Legal Victory, But We’re Not Done Yet," Grand Canyon Trust, Oct. 3, 2018. Joanna Walters, "Grand Canyon uranium mining ban upheld as supreme court declines to hear challenge," The Guardian, Oct. 1, 2018. House Committee on Natural Resources, "Chair Grijalva Formally Introduces Bill to Protect Grand Canyon Area From New Mining Claims – Effort Enjoys Extraordinary Grassroots, Tribal Support," Feb. 26, 2019.