The House Natural Resources Committee voted 26-19 in favor of H.R.1904, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act.

The bill authorizes a land swap between the federal government and Resolution Copper. The company plans to use the land for a copper mine in the Tonto National Forest.

Nearly every tribe in Arizona opposes the swap. The mine would be located near Apache Leap, a sacred site to the San Carlos Apache Tribe, and other culturally important sites.

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Arizona) offered an amendment to require the Interior Department to consult with tribes before moving forward with the swap. But he was voted down by the Republican controlled commttee.

Get the Story:
Copper mine plan for Superior advances in U.S. House (The Arizona Republic 7/14)
Southeast Arizona land swap bill passes committee after years of trying (Cronkite News Service 7/13)
Big first for $6 billion Resolution Copper Mine (The Apache Moccasin 7/13)

Committee Notice:
Full Committee Markup on H.R. 1408, H.R. 1904, H.R. 2150, H.R. 2170, H.R. 2171, H.R. 2172 and H.R. 2173 (July 13, 2011)