Save the Scenic Santa Ritas

Fighting to protect the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains from the devastating impacts of mining.

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Opposition and Resolutions

Southern Arizona Doesn’t Want Another Mine!

See our Endorsements page for a full list of businesses, organizations, clubs and groups endorsing our efforts to protect our public lands from mining.

The public opposition in and around Tucson is strong! The opposition comes in many forms, and includes most of the surrounding area’s elected officials and jurisdictions:

    • Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick, Congressman Raul Grijalva and former congress members Gabrielle Giffords and Ron Barber
    • Former and current State legislators Paula Aboud, Tim Bee, David Bradley, Olivia Cajero-Bedford, Andrés Cano, Andrea Dalessandro, Domingo DeGrazia, Kirsten Engel, Steve Farley, Dr. Randall Friese, Jorge Luis Garcia, Matt Heinz, Phil Lopes, Stephanie Mach, Marian McClure, Jonathan Paton, Daniel Patterson, Pamela Powers Hannley, Stephanie Stahl-Hamilton, Victoria Steele, Bruce Wheeler, Nancy Young Wright
    • Pima and Santa Cruz Counties
    • City of Tucson
    • Towns of Patagonia and Sahuarita
    • San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham, the Tohono O’odham Nation, the Hopi Tribe and the Pasqua Yaqui Tribe

“Southern Arizonans from every political persuasion are united in their opposition to the Rosemont Copper project. We will not allow Augusta to destroy our beloved Santa Rita Mountains. Augusta wants to make the Santa Ritas, hot, flat and dry.”

– Former Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll

Resolutions

Nearly every jurisdiction and political body in Southern Arizona has passed a resolution opposing mining in the Santa Rita Mountains. Here are their resolutions.

Pima County Board of Supervisors: April 2019,  Jan. 16, 2007

Town of Sahuarita, Jan. 22, 2007

City of Tucson, Feb. 6, 2007

Town of Patagonia, Feb. 20, 2007

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, Feb. 23, 2007

Green Valley Community Coordinating Council, letter opposing the Rosemont Mine, Aug. 27, 2007

Congresswoman Giffords’ statement opposing the Rosemont Mine, Sept. 7, 2007

Arizona Lawmakers oppose the Rosemont mine and ask for an independent review, Oct. 12, 2007

Pima County’s resolution opposing the CAP pipeline proposed by Augusta

Pima County Board of Supe rvisors Resolution in opposition to mining in Pima County Reserves and biologically valuable lands, June 7, 2005

San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation, Sept. 2, 2008

The Tohono O’odham Nation, Oct. 22, 2009

1997 Resolutions Opposing mining at Rosemont Ranch

Pima County Board of Supervisors, May 30, 1997

Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors, May 14, 1997

Here’s what high school student, Kara Gibson from Greenwood Springs, Colorado, had to say after her flight over the Santa Rita Mountains (November 10, 2007):

“The Santa Ritas are some of the most exquisite mountains … The landscape has a dreamlike quality, populated as it is by agave, mesquite, cacti of many descriptions, tall grasses, and funny yucca that resemble diminutive palm trees … Alas, a significant portion of this magnificent country may swiftly fall prey to an open-pit mine, courtesy of the 1872 Mining Law and the Augusta Resource Corp. …Could such splendid wilderness really be sacrificed in favor of toxic Technicolor lakes and tailings piles? I urge you … to take action to prevent this woeful occurrence. Open-pit mines are not a pretty sight, even from 1,000 feet.”

 

Recent Posts

  • Litigation Schedule February 17, 2021
  • Links to recent news and letters – 2021 February 15, 2021
  • Links to recent news and letters – 2020 December 31, 2020
  • Long Mountain – a film by Leslie Epperson July 8, 2020
  • A major win for endangered species in the Santa Ritas February 13, 2020

NEWSLETTER SIGNUP

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RSS Latest from Rosemont Mine Truth

  • Pima County reaffirms resolution opposing Rosemont Mine April 19, 2019
  • Hudbay approves $122 million spending plan for “early works” at Rosemont March 29, 2019
  • Hudbay seeking Rosemont Mine joint venture partner after receiving key federal Clean Water Act permit March 15, 2019
  • Hudbay has failed to provide legal justification for Clean Water Act permit, Natural Resources Committee chairman says March 5, 2019

Selected Lens on the Land Photographs

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Litigation Update

Speaking of which (the 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:

 

After a lot of negotiating, the lawyers have come to an agreement on the final schedule of our cases before the 9th Circuit Appeals Court. Here is the updated schedule:

  • Feds opening brief due by 1 June 2020
  • Hudbay opening brief due by 15 June 2020
  • Then, our response by 3 September 2020
  • Feds optional reply brief by 2 November 2020
  • Hudbay optional reply brief by 9 November 2020

Click here for more updates

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