The Coronado National Forest today announced that the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Rosemont copper project will be released in November and subject to new Forest Service regulations calling for additional consultation with stakeholders before the Record of Decision can be released.
Under the new consultation regulations that go into effect Sept. 27, the Record of Decision (ROD) for the mile-wide, half-mile deep open-pit copper mine will be released between 90 and 120 days after the FEIS is published sometime in November, according to the Coronado National Forest’s latest timeline.
The regulations allow individuals and organizations that submitted timely comments in the preparation of the environmental reports an opportunity to file objections to the FEIS within 45 days after it is published in the Arizona Daily Star. The Forest Service will have 45 days to review the objections, with an option to extend the review period another 30 days.
The Southwest Regional Forester will review the objections. The Coronado National Forest cannot issue a Record of Decision until after the Regional Forester has responded in writing to all the objections. The Record of Decision must be consistent with any instructions issued by the Regional Forestor.
“We believe the moving to the new process will give the public the opportunity to more fully engage in the eventual outcome of this decision during the objection period,” Coronado National Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch said.
Upchurch announced last July that he wanted to issue the FEIS and ROD prior to the new consultation regulation taking effect in order to meet the needs of Rosemont Copper Co.
Pima County, the Tohono O’odham Nation and Congressmen Ron Barber and Raúl Grijalva, however, requested that the Forest Service not rush to publish an incomplete FEIS and allow the Rosemont permitting process to fall under the new regulations.
Vancouver B.C.-based Augusta Resource Corp., which owns the Rosemont Copper, stated in its Second Quarter Management Discussion & Analysis report filed with Canadian securities regulators that any delay in issuing the FEIS and ROD by the end of September will cost the company an additional $29 million.
Augusta reported $6.4 million cash on hand at the end of June. The company sold $2 million in convertible debentures on September 5 and states it has regulatory authority to sell an additional $8 million by the end of October.
MORE AND MORE BUREAUCRATIC HURDLES FOR POLITICAL GAIN AND HUMAN PAIN . IT IS SO OBVIOUS THAT AUGUSTA HAS FAILED TECHNICALLY , FINANCIALLY AND SOCIALLY TO DEVELOP AN ACCEPTABLE MINING PROJECT .
IT APPEARS THAT THE $10 MILLION CONVERTIBLE DEBENTURES SOLD BY THE COMPANY ACCOUNTS FOR THE EMERGENCY FUNDS THAT WERE REQUIRED TO SIMPLY PAY FOR ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES IN THE COMING MONTHS .
ALL DELAYS FOR WHATEVER REASON WORK AGAINST AUGUSTA AND MUST BE MAINTAINED AND INCREASED BY WHATEVER MEANS POSSIBLE . AUGUSTA’S STOCK VALUE HAS DECLINED BY ROUGHLY 20% OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS IN SPITE OF THE $10 MILLION RESCUE INPUT . MINING WORLDWIDE IS IN THE DOLDRUMS WITH INVESTORS IN VERY SHORT SUPPLY . THE JUNIOR RESOURCE COMPANIES LIKE AUGUSTA ARE IN SERIOUS FINANCIAL TROUBLES . THE LARGE COPPER PRODUCERS ARE CUTTING BACK ON MERGERS AND ACQUISITIONS AS WELL AS REDUCING PRODUCTION IN SOME CASES IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY COPPER PRICE . HOWEVER , THE PRICE OF COPPER IS VERY UNSTABLE .
CONCERNED PARTIES WILL NOW HAVE A CHANCE TO MAKE THEIR VIEWS KNOWN AND VOICES HEARD . THIS IS NOT THE TIME TO HOLD BACK .
Let’s turn the area into a Nation Park! Problem solved.
I live in Green Valley. It is not fun having a copper mine for a neighbor. Dirty air, dirty water, huge ugly dump trucks roaring around….an unsightly mess.
These Rosemont folks would have us believe that they are honorable, forthcoming and truthful about following through on their stated intentions. Their track record with their other mining operations flies in the face of their TV ads and their stated claims. They are not whom they represent themselves to be.
AZ needs to stop destroying it’s natural resources in the name of big money interests. A few dirty jobs are not worth our beautiful land, precious water and wildlife habitat.