Photo of endangered jaguar near proposed Rosemont mine creates major new hurdle for copper project

Posted on November 28, 2012 by admin

A photograph of an endangered jaguar in close proximity to the Rosemont copper mine and within proposed critical habitat for the rare cat greatly increases the chance the massive mine project would have an adverse impact on the high-profile animal.

The Arizona Daily Star reported Sunday that the photograph of a jaguar’s tail taken last September was in the northern half of the Santa Rita Mountains, where Vancouver, B.C.-based Augusta Resource Corporation is seeking permits to build the Rosemont copper mine.

Augusta Resource’s subsidiary, Rosemont Copper Company, is seeking to dig a mile-wide, half-mile deep mine and dump waste rock and mine tailings 70-stories high across more than 3,000 acres of the Coronado National Forest.

The jaguar’s presence so close to a proposed mine boosts the threat for illegal “take,” Patrick Parenteau, a Vermont law professor who was involved with endangered species litigation as a federal official and a National Wildlife Federation attorney, told the Daily Star. Continue reading →

Posted in Endangered Species | 1 Comment

Forest Service: No Rosemont Decision in December, no date set

Posted on November 16, 2012 by admin

According to a U.S. Forest Service press release, the Coronado National Forest today announced that the December 2012 goal of releasing the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the proposed Rosemont Mine would not be met.  The release went on to say that, “[e]xact dates for release of the FEIS are difficult to predict” and thus no future release date has been set.

The Forest Service attributes this delay to “additional work that must be completed including the consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; consultation with tribes and the State Historic Preservation Office; Army Corps of Engineers permit coordination; updating of air quality models; additional transportation analysis; integration of updated lighting mitigation plans; evaluation of socioeconomic impacts to the astronomy industry in southern Arizona; and consultation with the Forest Service Southwestern Regional Office.”

Additionally, the Forest Service notes that Augusta Resource Corporation’s, Rosemont’s parent company, recently released plans to modify its mine proposal “will be reviewed.” [The modified plans were included in the updated Feasibility Study released earlier this summer.  Click here for further discussion of the Feasibility Study.]

Finally, the press release indicates that the Coronado National Forest has requested Rosemont to “reconsider various aspects of their operations.”

Posted in EIS | 1 Comment

Appointment of new director fuels speculation that cash-strapped Augusta Resource, parent of Rosemont Copper, may be sold

Posted on November 15, 2012 by admin

Robert Pirooz

Augusta Resource Corporation’s appointment of mining attorney Robert Pirooz to its board of directors indicates the Vancouver, B.C.-based junior miner that owns the Rosemont Copper Company may soon be acquired.

The appointment comes as Augusta continues to struggle with cash flow as its primary asset, Arizona-based Rosemont Copper, seeks necessary permits to begin construction of a massive open-pit copper mine on the Coronado National Forest south of Tucson.

Augusta is vigorously pressing the U.S. Forest Service to issue a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and Record of Decision for the Rosemont copper mine.

The Forest Service has scheduled a press conference for Friday, Nov. 16, to possibly announce whether it intends to issue a FEIS clearing the way for a mining permit to be issued; or require a new Draft EIS be prepared to address sweeping changes the company announced last July for the mile-wide, half-mile deep, open pit copper mine.

Regardless of the Forest Service decision on whether to issue a FEIS or require a new environmental study for the Rosemont project, Pirooz’s appointment can be interpreted as a signal that Augusta’s management is considering a strategic move. Continue reading →

Posted in Investors | 2 Comments

Rosemont Deception of the Day: Just another “typical open pit copper mine”

Posted on October 31, 2012 by admin

The centerpiece of Augusta Resource Corporation’s public relations campaign for its proposed Rosemont copper mine is that mile-wide, half-mile deep open pit mine will be a “state-of-the-art, first-class mine”.

Augusta also likes to describe the Rosemont project as “21st Century mine”, a transparent gimmick meant to convince the public that Rosemont will be dramatically different from other open-pit copper mines that destroyed vast areas of Arizona’s landscape and polluted ground water over the last 100 years.

“The Rosemont Project is a 21st century operation using the latest technology to help reduce impacts to the environment,” says Rosemont Copper Company CEO Rod Pace. Rosemont Copper Co. is a subsidiary of Vancouver, B.C.-based Augusta. Continue reading →

Posted in Deceptions | 4 Comments

Pima County joins Grijalva and Barber calling for new Rosemont Draft Environmental Impact Statement

Posted on October 26, 2012 by admin

Pima County on Thursday joined Democratic U.S. Representatives Ron Barber and Raul Grijalva in formally requesting the U.S. Forest Service to require substantial revisions to the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Rosemont copper mine.

“A new draft DEIS and public comment period are warranted for this project,” Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry said in an Oct. 25 letter to Coronado National Forest Supervisor Jim Upchurch.

Last July, Rosemont Copper Company submitted revised plans to the Forest Service for the mile-wide, half-mile deep open pit copper mine it wants to build in the Santa Rita Mountains on the Coronado National Forest south of Tucson. Rosemont Copper is owned by Vancouver, B.C.-based Augusta Resource Corporation.

Rosemont, in July and September letters to the Forest Service, stated the revisions to its mining plan included in the DEIS it submitted last year and for which the public comment period is now closed, are minor and do not require extensive analysis such as a supplemental or new DEIS. Continue reading →

Posted in EIS, Feasibility Study | 2 Comments