Letter: Where is the copper mining sacrifice zone?

In Russ McSpadden’s 3/3 editorial about the proposed Faraday Copper project in the Galiuro Mountains, he stated “Some places are too valuable to sacrifice — this is one of them.” Would Russ kindly provide a list of places locally and globally that he considers appropriate to sacrifice to produce needed copper and other mineral resources? Does he know a place on earth that is not important for wildlife, environmental media, the nearby communities and indigenous groups? Would his organization spend $25 million to $2 billion to explore this location and confirm the mineral resource potential so we can move forward with this project? His sacrifice zone list shouldn’t involve colonialism (putting Ukraine in servitude for our rare earth minerals) or environmental imperialism (shifting impacts of our consumption to less developed countries). Exploration geologists, hydrogeologists, mining, environmental, and cultural resource professionals are working daily to identify and extract mineral resources for our nation with the least environmental, social, and community impact possible. Be part of the solution.