We are excited to report another major win in the fight to protect the Santa Ritas: this week a federal judge ordered federal wildlife officials to redo their analysis of potential effects on jaguars and other endangered species. This ruling overturns yet another key permit the proposed Mine would need in order to operate, saying the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service used an improper evaluation standard and now must “reconsider whether the Rosemont Mine is ‘likely’ to result in destruction or adverse modification of the jaguar’s critical habitat” and impact other endangered species. Please see the press release from the Center for Biological Diversity for more info.

This ruling follows another from this past July that halted construction of the proposed mine, which Hudbay and the federal government appealed.

Regarding this appeal (originally filed in Nov. 2017 challenging the Forest Service’s approval of the mine), we now have a schedule for that case in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals – not definitive, but at least a general time frame:

• April 4th, 2020, OPENING BRIEFS from Hudbay and the Feds
• Approximately 60 days after that – about June 3rd, 2020 — OUR RESPONSE will be due
• Oral arguments probably not until late in 2020 or even into 2021

We’ll post any updates as they are announced, and will continue to celebrate each victory we have that protects our beloved Santa Ritas.

Until then, all quiet on the Rosemont front,

Gayle Hartmann, President

Dec. 5th, 2019

TUCSON, Ariz.— In response to a petition and lawsuit from the Center for Biological Diversity, two southern Arizona plants were proposed for Endangered Species Act protection today.

Bartram’s stonecrop and beardless chinchweed are two of a dozen imperiled animals and plants threatened by the proposed Rosemont Copper Mine near Tucson, which would impact more than 145,000 acres of wildlife habitat.

Beardless chinchweed, a type of sunflower, would be protected as endangered with 10,604 acres of critical habitat. Bartram’s stonecrop would be protected as threatened.

Read full press release from the Center For Biological Diversity…

Things continue to be quiet at the Rosemont site, and it would appear that Hudbay continues to scale back operations. Compare the below images…the first taken late August, and the second taken in October. As you can see, the large stacks of water pipes that were on site in August have since been removed.