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The time to speak out, to SAVE our beautiful Santa Ritas, is NOW! ATTEND a public meeting or submit a comment during the public comment period!

The DEIS for the proposed Rosemont mine can be downloaded at http://www.rosemonteis.us/draft-eis

Forest Service Public Meetings/Hearings Scheduled:
Saturday, January 14, 2012, 1:00 pm
Sahuarita High School - 350 W. Sahuarita Rd. Sahuarita, AZ 85629

Written comments on the DEIS due by January 18, 2012!

Comments may be submitted online at: www.RosemontEIS.us
By email at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
By phone at: (888) 654-6646
By mail at: Rosemont Comments, P.O. Box 4207, Logan, UT 84323.

Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) resources

Problems with DEIS_SIA.pdf
Sky Island Alliance compiled this list of key issues regarding water quality/quantity, springs, seeps, riparian habitats, air quality, cultural resources, dark skies, transportations, reclamation

Rosemont Impacts Summary_SIA.pdf
Sky Island Alliance compiled this list of significant issues related to the proposed Rosemont Mine and a brief summary of impacts, as determined by the U.S. Forest Service and discussed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) Executive Summary.

Tips on Preparing Comments_SIA.pdf
Sky Island Alliance prepared this document to help you write your comments on the DEIS. It includes a sample letter.

DEIS talking points.pdf
A few key facts about the proposed Rosemont Mine and the contents of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), including page numbers corresponding to areas of concern within the DEIS

DEIS index of areas of concern and tips.pdf
An index of areas of concern within the DEIS and a few tips on writing good comments

DEIS summary of areas of concern.pdf
A 10-pg document with a short summary of each area of concern within the DEIS

Stay informed of what the Forest Service is doing! This website has all the latest information on the progress of the DEIS.

New Coronado National Forest Website on the Rosemont EIS process

Coronado National Forest website on the Rosemont Mine

Link to Public Comments from Scoping open houses and public hearings

For more information call the Coronado National Forest Supervisor's Office anytime at 520-388-8300. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., but messages may be left after hours and they will call you back when the office opens.

If you have question about the proposed Rosemont Copper Project, please call Mr. John Able directly at 520-388-8322. Email John at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Contact the Coronado National Forest to get on the mailing list for all actions concerning mining or mineral exploration in the Santa Rita Mountains or the Patagonia Mountains, Canelo Hills and San Rafael Valley. You will be informed of all public comment opportunities for the Rosemont Mine and mines in Eastern Santa Cruz County.

Coronado National Forest
300 W. Congress St.
Tucson, AZ 85701
520-388-8300

NEPA Overview

NEPA is the National Environmental Policy Act, passed in 1969, that requires federal agencies to integrate environmental values into their decision making processes by considering the environmental impacts of their proposed actions and reasonable alternatives to those actions. To meet this requirement, federal agencies perform an evaluation of those environmental impacts. The Forest Service's recent decision to accept the Augusta/Rosemont Copper mining plan of operations at Rosemont Ranch is a federal action, therefore, the NEPA process has begun.

There are three levels of analysis depending on whether the action could significantly affect the environment. These three levels include: preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) if it is a "major Federal action that has a significant effect on the quality of the human environment"; an Environmental Assessment (EA) to determine if the project would significantly affect the environment; or a Categorical Exclusion for a project that has been determined as having no significant environmental impact.

An open pit mine is usually considered to be a major Federal action that would have a significant effect on the quality of the human environment. Therefore, an EIS will be prepared. For an EIS, the process consists of three main steps:

Scoping: Public meetings to gather comments from the public regarding their main concerns and issues about the project. This step is important, because if you do not participate and bring up a concern at this step, you cannot later challenge the Final EIS for not addressing that concern. At this stage, the agency must consult and coordinate with other agencies, such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
Draft EIS: The agency releases the Draft Environmental Impact Statement that has addressed all the issues brought up during scoping, and includes several alternatives to the proposed project, including a "no action" alternative. You can suggest alternatives in your comments. The public can comment on this Draft.
Final EIS and Record of Decision: The agency releases the Final Environmental Impact Statement which identifies the selected alternative. The public can comment on this Final EIS, and can appeal the Record of Decision, the official document stating the agency's decision.

See also:
Citizen's Guide to NEPA
U.S. EPA Consideration Of Cumulative Impacts In EPA Review of NEPA Documents (Cumulative impacts must be considered in the NEPA process!)

For more detailed information, go to http://ceq.hss.doe.gov/nepa/regs/ceq /toc_ceq.htm or http://www.nepa.gov/nepa/regs/nepa/nepaeqia.htm or
NEPAnet

The National Forest info on NEPA: http://www.fs.fed.us/sopa/components/sopa-dscr.shtml#planning
http://www.fs.fed.us/emc/nepa/