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The Arizona Mining Reform Coalition is comprised of Arizona groups and individuals that work to ensure that responsible mining contributes to healthy communities, a healthy environment, and, when all costs are factored in, is a net benefit to Arizona. The Arizona Mining Reform Coalition expects the mining industry to clean up after itself, comply fully with the spirit of safeguards in place to protect Arizona, and to interact in a transparent and open manner with Arizona citizens.

Picnic and Rally to Protect Oak Flat

The Concerned Citizens and Retired Miner Coalition is hosting a Picnic and rally at Oak Flat Campground this weekend as part of World Earth Day.Oak Flat CampgroundOak Flat Campground


Please join us at Oak Flat.


The celebration starts Friday afternoon, April 20 and goes through the Day on Saturday April 21.

 

The picnic will be held at the Oak Flat campgrounds at the first campsite under the big oaks.

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Sign a Petition to Protect Oak Flat

Apache LeapApache LeapAn hour east of Phoenix and a half hour west of the current boundaries of the San Carlos Indian Reservation lays a unique ecosystem that not only is critical for religious freedom for Native Americans, but is a recreationists’ Mecca.  The center of this area, Oak Flat Campground was forever set aside for public use by President Eisenhower more than 50 years ago.

Now, two huge foreign mining companies want to take Oak Flat from the public so the can build a mine that will devastate the area.  They have gone straight to Congress and asked them to pass legislation that would bypass the normal process of approving mines.

 This Thursday, February 9th, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will be holding a hearing to compare two recent bills that would take away Oak Flat.

 Both bills would give away Oak Flat and destroy Gaan Canyon, Queen Creek Canyon, and Apache Leap.  Both bills would devastate the watershed.  The entire area is sacred to Native Americans and both bills would curtail religious freedoms.  Both bills would end recreational opportunities and their positive economic impact on the surrounding towns.

 There is solid and massive opposition to both bills by Native American, conservation, recreation, and other organizations.

 You can help protect Oak Flat by signing a petition that will go to the Senate and other decision-makers to stand with so many others that want to keep Oak Flat public.

Thanks,
Roger Featherstone, Director

INSTRUCTIONS:

  • Go to the action page.
  • Print out a paper copy of the petition and circulate for signatures
  • For more information, go to the action page.
  • Share this alert with your friends and colleagues and share on Facebook, Twitter and other social media outlets.
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Johnson Camp mine public meeting December 1

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) will be holding a public meeting on Thursday, December 1st to take public comment on the draft amendment to the APP for the Johnson Camp Mine. The meeting will begin at 5:30 and will be held in Benson at the Benson City Council Chamber, 120 W. 6th St., Benson AZ 85602, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 PM.  Nord Resources Cooperation, the current owner of the mine, will be giving a presentation before the meeting at the same location (the Benson City Council Chamber) starting at 5:00.

 Please attend the meeting and make oral comments on the permit.

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Stand up for the Santa Ritas. Say no to Augusta Resources proposed mine.

At the first public hearing for its proposed open-pit copper mine in the Santa Rita Mountains, we were outgunned.Rosemont ValleyRosemont Valley Augusta again bussed in supporters for the hearing after feeding them lunch and opponents of the proposed mine were few and far between.

It was a disappointment, but not a shock: The Coronado National Forest let Rosemont Copper's PR firm handle the arrangements for the public meetings.

We need you to turn out for this Saturday's hearing and tell the Forest Service what you think of this incredibly damaging proposal, which would pollute our air and water and drive several species in our beloved Sky Islands closer to extinction.

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Oak Flat land exchange passes House

Today the US House of Representatives passed HR 1904, the Oak Flat Land Exchange with a 235 – 186 vote.  The House also voted several amendments to the bill that wOak Flat CampgroundOak Flat Campgroundere offered by Representatives, Grijalva, (D-AZ), Markey (D-MA), and Lujan (D-NM).  This is the first time the land exchange bill has made it through the House in the 6 years it has been introduced.  The bill has never made it through the Senate and the House version of the bill is so bad, it will have tough going in the Senate.  The bill continues to face opposition from both the Forest Service and the Department of Interior.


While the vote is disappointing, it was hardly unexpected given the anti-environmental make up of the House.  Still, it was rewarding to see a great deal of pressure put on the House from all walks of life opposing the Oak Flat land exchange.

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Pima County Denies Augusta Air Quality Permit

On September 29, the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality denied Augusta Resource Corporation an air quality permit for the proposed Rosemont mine.  Pima County cited a number of deficiencies in the permit application.  (Read Pima County’s letter to Augusta here.)  Augusta now has several options.  They can appeal the decision, give up and go home, or they can submit a new, correct permit and try again.

This is good news and shows that Augusta does not have the wherewithal to handle the intricacies of building a mine.  While this does not mean that the fight to protect the Santa Ritas is over, it does show that despite Augusta’s multi-million dollar PR campaign to bully Tucson and the surrounding communities into accepting their mine proposal, has fallen short.

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Proposed Florence In-Situ copper Mine a Bad Idea

Curis Resources, a Canadian Junior mining company is proposing an in-situ copper mine on the banks of the Gila River within the town boundaries of Florence, Arizona.  

Don Steuter, the Conservation Chair of the Grand Canyon Chapter of the Sierra Club (and one of our steering committee members), wrote an editorial about the proposed project which appeared in the Arizona Republic today.

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Letters opposing H.R 1904, the Oak Flat land Exchange

Several organizations have sent letters to the House Natural Resources Committee opposing the Oak Flat land exchange.

Of note are:

The Access Fund -- A national climbers advocacy group dedicated to climbing access and conservation.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation -- an organization dedicated to saving historic places and revitalizing America's communities.

Concerned Climbers of Arizona -- an organization advocating continued recreational access to climbing areas that are threatened by development or other forms of encroachment.

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Call today to stop the Oak Flat land exchange bill

We Love Oak FlatWe Love Oak Flat

The House Natural Resource Committee will be voting tomorrow, Wednesday, July 13th, on H.R, 1904, the Oak Flat land exchange bill.

Please call Members of the House Natural Resources Commitee today!

This bill is not only an unnecessary piece of special interest legislation that would severely impact precious water, natural resources, and religious freedom, but also would abrogate our nation’s environmental laws and short-circuit the normal process for approving mines on public land.

For more information about the bill see our fact sheet and for additional information see our written testimony submitted to the Natural Resources Committee about the bill.

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Gosar Introduces Oak Flat land Exchange Bill

On Friday afternoon, May 13th (yes on Friday the 13th), Representative Gosar (R-1st District) of Arizona, introduced H.R. 1904, his new version of the Oak Flat land exchange.  Although he and his staff took the time to meet with Native American Tribes and with opposition groups, his new bill is actually worse than the final version of S. 409 in the last Congress.  As a result, we must stop this bill from becoming law.

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