Rep. Grijalva and Rosemont Mine

The Rosemont Mine Proposal: History and Background

Rosemont Copper seeks to build a mine near Forest Service land southeast of Tucson. The Coronado National Forest received a proposed operating plan from the company in September 2006. After receiving the proposed plan, the Forest Supervisor reviewed it, determined that it did not meet the necessary requirements, and returned it to the mining company, asking them to revise and submit additional information.

Feb. 24, 2007 – Responding to the proposed mine outside of Tucson, Rep. Grijalva, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, calls a Congressional hearing: Our National Forests at Risk: The 1872 Mining Law and Its Impact on the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona.”

Nov. 11, 2007 – Rep. Grijalva introduces the Southern Arizona Public Lands Protection Act, a bill that would withdraw the federal land in Pima and Santa Cruz counties from future mining claims.

June 18, 2009 – Rep. Grijalva reintroduces the Southern Arizona Public Lands Protection Act in the 111th Congress.

March 25, 2010 – Rep. Grijalva sends a letter to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack asking them to reconsider a Bush-era standard allowing mining companies to dump large amounts of waste and hardrock on Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management property without penalty.

May 25, 2011 – Rep. Grijalva reintroduces the Southern Arizona Public Lands Protection Act in the 112th Congress.

June 24, 2011 – Rep. Grijalva writes Coronado National Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch to request an extension of the initial 30-day comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement.

October 24, 2011– Rep. Grijalva sends a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack raising concerns about lack of public notification and inclusion in preparing a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Rosemont Mine project south of Tucson.

December 29, 2011 – Concerned about its proximity to the filing date for the US Forest Service comment period, Rep. Grijalva writes the US Army Corps of Engineers to ask for an extension of the USACE 404 permit for the Rosemont Mine Project public comment period for the Army Corps of Engineers.

February 7, 2012 - Rep. Grijalva sends a letter to Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urging a Forest Service review of the validity of Rosemont Copper's mining claims southeast of Tucson.