Rosemont power-line plan faces a new hurdle
ACC OKs planned route but delays final approval pending public hearing
Tony Davis, Arizona Daily Star | March 18, 2012
TEP’s preferred power-line route to Rosemont Mine
Rosemont Copper faces a new delay – this time over a power line for the proposed mine in the Santa Rita Mountains.
The delay comes from the Arizona Corporation Commission, which unanimously but conditionally approved the power line Thursday. At the same time, it voted 3-2 to delay the approval for at least one more public hearing and more evidence-gathering, which opens the door to testimony – previously excluded – about the mine’s overall environmental impacts.
The commission’s vote came three months after its Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting Committee voted unanimously to approve Tucson Electric Power’s proposal for the 13-mile line, which would start near Sahuarita and end at the mine site on the other side of the Santa Ritas. The commission’s vote formally accepts the route proposed by TEP and Rosemont Copper.
In seeking more hearings, the commission responded to concerns raised by critics that the siting committee didn’t consider important evidence and didn’t grant due process to everyone involved.
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