There have been two recent judicial rulings on the Rosemont Copper Company projects — one favorable and one unfavorable.
On May 12, 2022, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld, in a 2-1 decision, District Court Judge Soto’s 2019 decision to invalidate the Forest Service’s Final Environmental Statement that had approved the Rosemont Mine project in 2017. The Rosemont Mine area of operations is on the east side of the Santa Ritas. The 9th Circuit cited invalid mining claims on Forest Service land on which Hudbay Minerals had planned to dump related waste rock and tailings as the principal reason for upholding the lower court ruling. The decision effectively halts Hudbay’s work on the Rosemont Mine project.
Eleven days later, on May 23, 2022, District Court Judge Soto (the same judge whose ruling was upheld by the appellate court) dismissed motions for a temporary restraining order and related motions of support, based on Hudbay’s decision to surrender its Clean Water Act Section 404 for the Rosemont Mine. Save The Scenic Santa Ritas was disappointed in the ruling, is still studying it, and is leaving open its legal options. As a result of the District Court ruling, Hudbay continues to grade and clear on privately-owned land in the Copper World area on the west side of the Santa Ritas.
