Save the Scenic Santa Ritas

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

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Past Events

View video coverage from past public hearings on our youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/sssrtucson.


Widening of SR83 as part of the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan

Attend the PAG Regional Council Meeting March 29th, 12 PM, 177 N Church Ave, Suite #501 (this meeting will be open to the public)

Comments are due by March 16, 2012

Completed Comment Forms (click to download form)  can be sent, e-mailed or faxed to:

Pima Association of Governments

Attn: Melissa Minerich
177 N. Church Ave, #405, Tucson, AZ, 85701
Fax: (520) 620-6981
Email: mminerich@pagnet.org

Following are our recommendations on how to comment:

  • It is important to have improvements to SR83 included in the RTP for the safety and enjoyment of residents and visitors.
  • We recommend, however, that the recommended improvements to SR83 be limited, at this time, to adding shoulders, pavement replacement, and bus pullouts to the existing 2 lane scenic highway. Population increase projections for the Sonoita/Elgin/Patagonia area alone do not justify the need for a four lane highway and there is no guarantee that the proposed Rosemont Mine will be approved. It is therefore premature to include plans for a four lane highway in the RTP at this time.
  • If there is justification for a four lane highway when funding for planning improvements to SR83 becomes available, then those improvements should be incorporated at that time. If those improvements are necessary due to commercial activity such as the proposed Rosemont mine, then the commercial entity should be required to fund the improvements.

For more background on this issue:

Download the 2040 RTP Update/Amendment Overview – February 2012

At the Pima Association of Governments (PAG) open house on February 18, 2012 we learned that it is important for transportation projects to be part of the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) in order for a project to effectively compete for federal or other transportation funds. The RTP was approved by the PAG Regional Council in July, 2010. Recently the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) requested that one of the projects in the RTP (the widening of I10W from Prince to the Pima County line) be amended. Since an amendment to the plan was being requested, PAG asked the jurisdictions involved in PAG to suggest any other changes needed. This process led to the recommendation to amend the plan to add six new projects and revisions to six existing projects.

We were most interested in learning more about the justification for ADOT’s addition of a project to widen SR83 to four lanes from I10 to the Pima County line and the Wilmot Siding Rail extension. We learned that all three of the railroad projects had been “on the books” for over 10 years and were being added in order for Pima County to be able to successfully compete for grants from federal or rail funding sources.

Todd Emery, ADOT Tucson District Engineer, explained that the SR83 project was being proposed as an amendment due to anticipated changes in the use of the highway, including commercial development such as the proposed Rosemont Mine. He noted that SR83 needs a number of improvements in any case including adding shoulders, pavement replacement, and bus pullouts. The need for four lanes would depend on anticipated traffic volume caused by a variety of factors including projected population growth and commercial activity. He stated that if the proposed Rosemont Mine is approved, Rosemont would need a permit from ADOT to access and use SR 83 and that they would be required to pay for any improvements that ADOT would determine were attributable to Rosemont’s use of SR83. If Rosemont is not willing to pay for the improvements they would not be granted an ADOT permit.

The next step in this process is the public comment period, which ends on March 16th. On March 29, 2012 at noon PAG will present the amendments and all the comments received to the PAG Regional Council. This meeting is open to the public, so plan to attend. The Regional Council is the deciding body on whether to approve the amendments to the RTP.

For information about the council, and for meeting location information, visit PAG’s website.

Recent Posts

  • Long Mountain – a film by Leslie Epperson July 8, 2020
  • Litigation Schedule February 19, 2020
  • A major win for endangered species in the Santa Ritas February 13, 2020
  • New Video from SSSR Supporter February 10, 2020
  • The Rosemont Story – Cartoon by Bob Swaim January 30, 2020

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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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