Coronado National Forest officials announced that they now expect the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Rosemont Copper project will be released and public comment will be invited the fourth quarter of 2010. Public hearings are expected to take place in the first quarter of 2011.
The proposed mine is in the Santa Rita Mountains about 20 miles south of Tucson and has attracted strong opposition from some local residents, farming interests, and Pima County politicians, which has led to multiple delays in release of the DEIS.