Congress is holding a field hearing in Tucson in Saturday, February 24 (details below), on the proposed Rosemont copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson. The hearings are coming in apparent response to a letter from Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckleberry, who last month wrote to several members of the Arizona delegation, requesting that all national parks, monuments, and forest lands in the county be withdrawn from mineral exploration and mining activities.
Rep. Raul Grijalva from Tucson, is the newly appointed Chair of the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, which is one of two subcommittees that are holding the joint hearing.
In addition to the Rosemont mine, the hearing will examine the 1872 General Mining Law. This second theme is gaining national attention with some speculation that this might be the opening round in a renewed effort to overturn the law.
A large local audience is expected for the hearing, but the inclusion of the 1872 Mining Law issue promises to bring in mining proponents and critics from around the country.
Testimony at the hearing is by invitation only.
For the formal notice of the hearing, go to -
http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/hearings/hearingdetail.aspx?NewsID=15
Hearing
Joint Subcommittee Oversight Field Hearing: Our National Forests at Risk: The 1872 Mining Law and its Impact on the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona
February 24, 2007
The House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands, and the Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, will hold a joint oversight field hearing on “Our National Forests at Risk: The 1872 Mining Law and its Impact on the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona.” This hearing will examine the proposed Rosemont Mine, adjacent to the Santa Rita Mountains of the Coronado National Forest, and the Augusta Resource Corporation’s request for use of public land in conjunction with its proposed mining operation. It will also focus on the suitability of the 1872 General Mining Law for permitting modern hardrock mines and mill sites.
Subject:
House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources
House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands
“Our National Forests at Risk: The 1872 Mining Law and its Impact on the Santa Rita Mountains of Arizona”
When:
Saturday, February 24, 2007, at 10:00 a.m.
Where:
Pima County Administration Building
130 West Congress Street
Tucson, AZ