In southern Arizona, the proposed site of a new mine is pitting the Resolution Copper company against the Western Apache people. In the Tonto National Forest, Oak Flat sits above one of the largest untapped copper reserves in North America. It’s also a sacred site for the nearby San Carlos Apache tribe. Just this month, the Biden administration put a pause on a land transfer that would have allowed Resolution Copper to build the mine. Our partners at KJZZ spoke with Randy Serraglio, Southwest conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, about the potential impacts of this extraction project.

Show Notes:

Photo: Members of the San Carlos Apache tribe gather at the Arizona State Capitol to protest a proposed copper mine at Oak Flat in 2015. Jamie Cochran/Cronkite News

KJZZ: Biden Administration Pauses Massive Oak Flat Copper Mine Near Superior

https://fronterasdesk.org/content/1663980/biden-administration-pauses-massive-oak-flat-copper-mine-near-superior?_ga=2.1635766.649844652.1614970561-101729423.1594337169

Resolution Copper Project and Land Exchange Environmental Impact Statement

https://www.resolutionmineeis.us

Center for Biological Diversity: Oak Flat

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/oak_flat/