The US Forest Service has hired a mediation service to bring together all the sides in the Rosemont copper mine debate. This is in addition to the EIS being prepared. Some believe the issues are unresolvable, others hope the mediation may bring additional viewpoints to the process.
The mediator is report as saying in today's Daily Star that they are not expecting conflict resolution but conflict management.
I applaud the USFS for this. The EIS process results in a decision, but it doesn't deal with the conflicts that come out of it. Adding a mediation component at this stage of the process offers potential that regardless of the final decision on the mine, the community won't be as torn apart as it might be otherwise.