Rosemont Copper still faces key technical hurdles that could further increase cost of proposed $1.2 billion open pit mine

Posted on January 16, 2013 by admin

Augusta Resource Corp., the Vancouver, B.C.-based parent company of Rosemont Copper Company, still has some major regulatory and non-regulatory hurdles to cross that could directly impact the cost of the $1.2 billion project that has increased more than $300 million over the last three years.

Augusta, along with national mine lobbying groups including Mined in America, are pressuring state and federal regulators to quickly approve outstanding permit applications for the proposed mile-wide, half-mile deep open pit copper mine Rosemont Copper wants to build in the Santa Rita Mountains on the Coronado National Forest southeast of Tucson. Continue reading →

Posted in EIS, Feasibility Study | 3 Comments

Earthworks Press Release: Rosemont Copper and A Tale of Two Mines

Posted on December 18, 2012 by admin

Earthworks: Rosemont Copper and A Tale of Two Mines (via PR Newswire)

TUCSON, Ariz., Dec. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire/ — The same Canadian mining speculators who are now seeking government permits to build the Rosemont copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson, Arizona, left behind a trail of unpaid vendors, a misspent government loan, hidden investors, and a toxic…

Continue reading →

Posted in Investors, Mining Law | 1 Comment

Feds could collect $2 billion in royalties from Rosemont if copper mines paid same royalty as oil and gas producers

Posted on December 13, 2012 by admin

If royalties similar to the 12.5 percent charged for oil and gas leases on federal lands were applied to the proposed Rosemont copper mine, the U.S. Treasury could collect nearly $2 billion over the next 22 years.

This amount dwarfs Rosemont Copper Company’s claim that it will contribute between $300 million and $400 million in local tax revenue over the life of the mine.

Rosemont says it will produce 240 million pounds of copper a year during the 22-year life of the mine.

At an average price of $3 per pound (copper was trading at $3.66/pound recently; the price has ranged between $3.29 and $3.93 over the last 52 weeks), the mine will generate  $720 million a year in revenue. Continue reading →

Posted in Mining Law | 3 Comments

Rosemont’s questionable PR tactics exposed (again)

Posted on December 7, 2012 by admin

In an article in this week’s Tucson Weekly, Rosemont Copper Company is called to task for misrepresenting the support of community groups and organizations on its website.

The article identified several high profile organizations that are listed by Rosemont as “partners” in its effort to develop a massive open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains on the Coronado National Forest south of Tucson.

However, when contacted by the Tucson Weekly, the organizations and groups listed by Rosemont as partners “almost without exception” had no opinion on the mine and some stated they had no connection with the company “whatsoever”.

This latest revelation in deceptive public relations follows a string of other unethical PR practices by Rosemont that are highlighted in the article.

Posted in Astroturf | 1 Comment

National Park Service wants Rosemont to include tailings management plan prior to ADEQ approving air quality permit

Posted on November 30, 2012 by admin

The National Park Service is asking state regulators to require Rosemont Copper Company to make significant revisions to its draft air quality permit to lessen the possible impact of the proposed massive open pit copper mine on the Saguaro National Park.

The park service is requesting that Rosemont be required to include in its air quality permit application a plan for controlling dust from 70-story high, dry-stack tailings piles that will cover more than a 1,00o of acres of Coronado National Forest.

The current draft air quality permit under review by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality does not require Rosemont to submit a tailings management plan prior to approving the permit.

Instead, the draft air permit allows Rosemont to submit a tailings management plan 90 days prior to startup of operations. Continue reading →

Posted in Air Quality | 2 Comments