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Judge declines to block Arizona copper mine
A federal judge on Monday declined to intervene in the advancement of a massive copper mine in Arizona opposed by tribal members but did give opponents some breathing room.
Judge Dominic Lanza in the District Court for the District of Arizona denied two requests for a preliminary injunction to halt a federal land swap that would lead to the mine being built. But Lanza also ruled that the Forest Service cannot move ahead with the land exchange until 60 days after completing and issuing a final environmental impact statement.
'The Court concludes that, under these unusual circumstances, the appropriate course of action is to preclude the Forest Service from proceeding with the land exchange until 60 days after the issuance of the FEIS,' Lanza wrote. 'The legal basis for this order is simple—during oral argument, all defendants agreed to (or agreed not to oppose) such a period of delay.'
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Lanza's ruling is the result of a legal fight that the San Carlos Apache Tribe and groups like the Arizona Mining Reform Coalition have led since 2021 in hopes of killing the mining project, which they say will destroy a holy site known as Oak Flat in the Tonto National Forest. The land exchange was originally included in the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act and championed by the late Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
