The following editorial written by Roy Chavez and Roger Featherstone ran in the April 20, 2010 edition of the Arizona Republic.

The Sonoran Institute was on target in its critique of the proposed Rosemont mine south of Tucson (4/3/10 Arizona Republic), however, the author drew the wrong conclusion about Rio Tinto’s proposal to mine under Oak Flat Campground east of Superior.  In fact it would be impossible to do the same thorough analysis of the Rio Tinto project as is being done on the Rosemont mine proposal, since Rio Tinto has yet to even write a mining plan.  Rio Tinto is trying to evade the rules, which every other mining company wanting to use public lands must follow, and has instead gone straight to the U.S. Congress for a special sweetheart land exchange deal.

Yesterday Congresswoman Ann Kirkpatrick introduced the compromise language Senator McCain wrote last year on the Oak Flat land exchange.  That language was substituted for the original language in S 409 and was voted out of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last December.  The new bill, HR 4880 has been referred to the House Natural Resources Committee.  Representative Kirkpatrick has renamed the bill the ‘‘Copper Basin Jobs Act’’

It's bad enough for Congresswoman Kirkpatrick (D-1st District, Arizona) to be pushing for the destruction of Oak Flat Campground by two foreign mining companies, but now in an attempt to obfuscate the issue, the Congresswoman is trying to change the name of the project.  Instead of identifying the issue as the Oak Flat land Exchange (or it's "official" title as the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2009) (S 409 and HR 2509), she is now referring to this miscarriage of due process as the Copper Basin Jobs Project.  Taking a page out of her predecessor Rick Renzi's playbook, this is just another underhanded scheme to rip off our public lands. Please be aware of this attempt to fly under the radar.  This certainly isn't a jobs project, it's a land exchange that will make us all poorer!

Well folks, it's official.  The Senate Energy & Natural Resources Committee would rather give another handout to a foreign mining consortium worth $300 Billion than to protecting the religious freedom or the natural treasures of this country.

Today, by a voice vote and without debate The Committee passed S 409 as amended along with 31 other bills despite knowing that the compromise between Senator Bingaman and Senator McCain did not pass muster from taxpayers, Native Americans, climbers, or conservationists.  To get the job done Senator Bingaman and Senator McCain resorted to backroom horse-trading and maneuvers instead of doing the people's business in the light of day.

Please contact your Senators on the Committee and express your disappointment and stay tuned for ways you can help stop this government handout on the Senate floor and in the House.

There will be campaign corks popping in the corporate headquarters of Rio Tinto in London and BHP in Australia, but to put things in perspective, these mining giants have had an army of paid lobbyists and PR hacks working this legislation since 2004 and this is the first time they've gotten a bill out of committee.  Who says the average Joe or Jane can't make a difference?