{"id":8630,"date":"2021-03-04T19:36:47","date_gmt":"2021-03-05T00:36:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=8630"},"modified":"2021-03-04T19:43:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-05T00:43:40","slug":"cronkite-news-biden-administration-puts-halt-to-mine-at-sacred-apache-site","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/04\/cronkite-news-biden-administration-puts-halt-to-mine-at-sacred-apache-site\/","title":{"rendered":"Cronkite News: Biden administration puts halt to mine at sacred Apache site"},"content":{"rendered":"<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-attachment-id=\"7355\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/09\/cronkite-news-apache-stronghold-fights-to-protect-sacred-site-from-foreign-mine\/copper-court\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/09\/protectoakflat.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2000,1333\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;3.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Alberto Mariani&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Activists from Apache Stronghold gathered in front of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce for a vigil Tuesday in opposition to Resolution Copper\\u2019s plan to develop a mine on what the group says is sacred land. A court Wednesday heard their request for a preliminary injuntion to delay the project. (Photo by Alberto Mariani\/Cronkite News)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1612289008&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;@AlbertoMariani&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;70&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;2000&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.04&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Copper Court&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Copper Court\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Activists from Apache Stronghold gathered in front of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce for a vigil Tuesday in opposition to Resolution Copper\u2019s plan to develop a mine on what the group says is sacred land. A court Wednesday heard their request for a preliminary injuntion to delay the project. (Photo by Alberto Mariani\/Cronkite News)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/09\/protectoakflat-300x200.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/09\/protectoakflat-1024x682.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/09\/protectoakflat.jpg\" alt=\"Copper Court\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-7355\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Activists from Apache Stronghold gathered in front of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce for a vigil on February 2, 2021, against Resolution Copper\u2019s plan to develop a mine on what the group says is sacred land. A court Wednesday heard their request for a preliminary injunction to delay the project. Photo by Alberto Mariani \/ Cronkite News<\/figcaption>\r\n<div class=\"h3-responsive font-weight-bold\">Feds rescind OK for copper mine at Oak Flat, seek \u2018thorough review\u2019<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"date\">Thursday, March 4, 2021<\/div>\r\n<div class=\"byline\">By Sarah Oven<\/div>\r\n<DIV class=source>Cronkite News<\/DIV>\r\n<DIV class=source-website><A \r\nhref=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A><\/DIV>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nWASHINGTON &#8211; The government Monday <a href=https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/01\/san-carlos-apache-tribe-cheers-right-move-to-protect-sacred-site-from-copper-mine\/>rescinded its approval for a proposed massive copper mine at Oak Flat<\/a>, just days before it was to transfer thousands of acres of federal land for the project.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nThe Department of Agriculture said it \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutionmineeis.us\/\">ordered the rescission<\/a>\r\nto allow for a &#8220;thorough review based on significant input from collaborators, partners and the public&#8221; after the January 15 release of a final environmental impact statement on the project.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nCritics charged that the January 15 statement had been rushed to beat the incoming Biden administration &#8211; but the USDA cited Biden&#8217;s \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/briefing-room\/presidential-actions\/2021\/01\/26\/memorandum-on-tribal-consultation-and-strengthening-nation-to-nation-relationships\/\">January 26 order<\/a>\r\ndirecting agencies to consult more with tribes as one reason for the reversal.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nSan Carlos Apache Chairman Terry Rambler hailed the withdrawal of approval for the mine &#8220;the right move.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;The Resolution copper mine project will desecrate Chich\u2019il Bildagoteel, also known as Oak Flat, which is the heart of our religious and cultural beliefs,&#8221; Rambler said in a written statement. He went on to say the &#8220;U.S. Forest Service failed to follow the law in the preparation of a sham final environmental impact statement that was used to justify trading away our sacred land to wealthy foreign mining companies.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CORRECTING LINK:<br><br>Days after asking a federal judge to stop a huge copper mine on sacred territory, the San Carlos Apache Tribe is celebrating the Biden administration\u2019s decision to pull back the controversial development. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ProtectOakFlat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@ProtectOakFlat<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Arizona?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Arizona<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/2Iy5Jqkus0\">https:\/\/t.co\/2Iy5Jqkus0<\/a><\/p>&mdash; indianz.com (@indianz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/indianz\/status\/1366551600358166528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 2, 2021<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nOfficials with \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutioncopper.com\/\">Resolution Copper,<\/a>\r\nthe mining company behind the project, did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday. But mine supporters like Gov. Doug Ducey were &#8220;extremely disappointed&#8221; in the reversal.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Undoing lengthy, comprehensive, and already-completed federal environmental studies on a whim with the changing of federal administrations doesn\u2019t work,\u201d Ducey said. \u201cThis type of activity threatens an untold number of major projects in Arizona and around the country.\u201d<p><\/p>\r\nDucey said the proposed mine is expected to generate up to 1,450 jobs for workers who would receive $149 million in compensation annually. He said it could be worth about $1 billion a year in direct and indirect economic impact for the state.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nIn materials on the mine, Resolution says \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutioncopper.com\/files\/media-releases\/Resolution%20Economic%20Benefits%20Nov%202020.pdf\">the project<\/a>\r\ncould pump $61 billion into the economy over the projected 60-year life of the mine, and annual increases of up to $113 million in state and local taxes in addition to $200 million in federal taxes. At full capacity, it says, the mine could produce up to one-quarter of the nation&#8217;s demand for copper.\r\n<p><\/p><div class=\"mt-1 mb-1\"><ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block; text-align:center;\" data-ad-layout=\"in-article\" data-ad-format=\"fluid\" data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-8411603009680747\" data-ad-slot=\"6394965691\"><\/ins><script>(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});<\/script><\/div><p><\/p>\r\nBut critics say that comes at too high a price to the environment and to sacred tribal lands.<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;We&#8217;re grateful the Biden administration recognized that the fast-tracked environmental analysis was a sham and we know a thorough review will show a mine at Oak Flat will do irreparable damage,&#8221; said Randy Serraglio of the Center for Biological Diversity. &#8220;These sacred lands should never be handed over to a mining company and we won\u2019t stop until they\u2019re protected for good.\u201d<p><\/p>\r\nThe land could have been handed over as early as next week, under a congressionally approved swap in which the federal government would have given 2,422 acres of copper-rich land to Resolution Copper in exchange for 5,459 acres of other land in southeast Arizona.<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nThat deal was approved in December 2014, but could not go forward until governmental reviews were completed. The January 15 release of the \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.resolutionmineeis.us\/documents\/final-eis\">environmental statement<\/a>\r\nfrom the Forest Service would have cleared the way for the land exchange &#8211; until Monday&#8217;s reversal.\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nIn ordering the reversal, the USDA cited President Joe Biden\u2019s memorandum calling for increased tribal consultation, saying it wanted to ensure &#8220;the Forest Service has complied with the environmental, cultural, and archaeological analyses required.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n<div class=\"embed-responsive embed-responsive-16by9\">\r\n                        <iframe class=\"embed-responsive-item\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/5IGhpOa0ecY\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\r\n                    <\/div>\r\n                    <figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">\r\n\r\n                         Indianz.Com Video:  \r\n                        <a href=https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/Video\/2020\/03\/12\/save-oak-flat-naelyn-pike-us-c.asp>Save Oak Flat | Naelyn Pike | US Capitol<\/a>\r\n                    <\/figcaption>\r\n<p><\/p>\r\nRep. Raul Grijalva, D-Tucson, praised the order as another step in &#8220;ending the cycle of ignoring tribal input whenever it suits polluters.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;The Trump administration rushed this document out the door as just one more favor to industry, regardless of how legally or scientifically unsupportable it was,\u201d said Grijalva, the chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, in a prepared statement, adding that the Biden administration &#8220;is doing the right thing with this reset.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n\r\nSeveral lawsuits had been filed to block the mine, including one by a group called Apache Stronghold that was appealing its case after a loss at the U.S. District Court level. Luke Goodrich, an attorney with \r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.becketlaw.org\/\">Becket Law,<\/a>\r\nsaid it was &#8220;no coincidence&#8221; the reversal came Monday afternoon, just &#8220;six hours before its deadline to reply to Apache Stronghold&#8217;s emergency appeal.&#8221;\r\n<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;The Government knows the destruction of Oak Flat violates federal law. It knows it can\u2019t justify it in court. So it is retreating &#8211; temporarily,&#8221; Goodrich said in a statement. &#8220;But a temporary retreat doesn\u2019t solve the problem.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\n<figure>\r\n<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" data-attachment-id=\"8639\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/03\/04\/cronkite-news-biden-administration-puts-halt-to-mine-at-sacred-apache-site\/protectoakflat-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/05\/protectoakflat-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"2560,1920\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;iPhone 11 Pro Max&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1583953749&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.25&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;32&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00083333333333333&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"protectoakflat\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/05\/protectoakflat-300x225.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/05\/protectoakflat-1024x768.jpg\" src=\"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/05\/protectoakflat-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"protectoakflat\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-8639\" \/>\r\n<figcaption class=\"figure-caption\">Supporters of Oak Flat take part in a rally at the U.S. Capitol  to call for permanent protections at the sacred Apache site on March 11, 2020.\r\nPhoto by Indianz.Com <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-sa\/4.0\/\">(CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\nGrijalva said he plans to reintroduce the Save Oak Flat Act, which would stop the project, &#8220;to make sure this needless controversy is settled on the side of justice once and for all.&#8221;<p><\/p>\r\nWhile he welcomed the reprieve, Michael Nixon, another attorney for Apache Stronghold, said this is not the time to relax.<p><\/p>\r\n&#8220;Oak Flat is still on death row,&#8221; Nixon said. &#8220;The Forest Service&#8217;s announcement is welcome but doesn\u2019t have much real meaning because they are just changing the execution date so they can coerce and pressure the Apache some more. It is unconscionable.\u201d<p><\/p>\r\n<STRONG>For more stories from Cronkite News, visit <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/?utm_source=referral&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_campaign=client\">cronkitenews.azpbs.org<\/A>.<\/STRONG>\r\n<P><\/P>\r\n<HR><EM>Note: This story originally <a href=\"https:\/\/cronkitenews.azpbs.org\/2021\/03\/01\/feds-rescind-ok-for-copper-mine-at-oak-flat-seek-thorough-review\/\">appeared on Cronkite News<\/a>.  It  is published via a <A href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/3.0\/\">Creative  Commons license<\/A>. Cronkite News is produced by the <A href=\"https:\/\/cronkite.asu.edu\/\">Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication<\/A> at <A href=\"https:\/\/www.asu.edu\">Arizona State University<\/A>.<\/EM><HR>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Biden administration put the brakes on massive copper mine at a sacred Apache site, reversing course after the project was on the verge of final approval.","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,20,13,1,14],"tags":[869,42,157,46,94,159,49,48,53,72,892,1072,126,278,43,597,598,556,474],"class_list":["post-8630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-environment","category-indian-trust","category-law","category-national","category-politics","tag-117th","tag-arizona","tag-consultation","tag-cronkite-news","tag-democrats","tag-eis","tag-hnrc","tag-house","tag-joe-biden","tag-judiciary","tag-mining","tag-oak-flat","tag-raul-grijalva","tag-religion","tag-sacred-sites","tag-san-carlos-apache","tag-terry-rambler","tag-usda","tag-usfs","no-wpautop"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/09\/protectoakflat.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pcoJ7g-2fc","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7355"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}