Top official from U.S. Department of Agriculture will attend
TUCSON – U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords will host two public meetings this Saturday on plans by Augusta Resource Corporation to build an open-pit mine in the Santa Rita Mountains near Green Valley.
The proposed Rosemont Mine has sparked considerable community opposition since it was announced in 2005. If it becomes operational, many fear it would cause irreparable damage to the area’s environment and quality of life.
Augusta, based in Vancouver, Canada, claims the mine will produce 221 million pounds of copper per year.
The first public meeting will be in Elgin and the second will be in Green Valley. Each will last 90 minutes.
Attending both meetings will be Jay Jensen, the Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and the Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Jensen has direct oversight of the U.S. Forest Service, the agency now analyzing the mine’s potential environmental impacts.
Giffords and U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva invited Jensen to tour the proposed mine site and meet with the residents of nearby communities. In their Sept. 10 invitation, the lawmakers urged Jensen to come to Arizona before the Forest Service releases a draft Environmental Impact Statement.
Participants in the public meetings will have the opportunity express their views directly to Jensen and Giffords. Representatives from Augusta and Save the Scenic Santa Ritas, a group opposed to the mine, will attend both meetings.
WHAT: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hosts a public meeting on the proposed Rosemont Mine
WHEN: 10:15-11:45 a.m., Saturday, October 24
WHERE: Elgin Elementary School, 23 Elgin Road, Elgin
WHAT: U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords hosts a public meeting on the proposed Rosemont Mine
WHEN: 2:15-3:45 p.m., Saturday, October 24
WHERE: Desert Hills Social Center, 2980 S. Camino del Sol, Green Valley