The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
The Santa Rita Mountains are in all of our backyards.
Over the last 15 years, I have read “not in my backyard” opinions about Augusta, Rosemont, and Hudbay’s Copper World. Whatever area is closest to the threat is where the loudest objections originate. We all read them, look at the pictures of the dust-covered homes in Green Valley, etc., shake our heads and say to ourselves, “Glad that’s not near me,” and go on with our lives.
I have not seen, however, an open letter to the mine saying, “Hey, Hudbay! my neighbors and I discussed this. We don’t care about our homes, kids, air, or water, so you can bring that mess over here!”
Canadian mining company Hudbay Minerals wants to build a massive open-pit mine and processing facilities on the western face of the Santa Rita’s. They need land to dump their waste and tailings to accomplish their goal. Thus, they bought private land across Sycamore Canyon from my home. They also want to buy two parcels of State Trust land, one directly across the canyon from my property.
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Our neighborhood is obviously concerned about negative impacts on our quality of life and home values. There is an elementary school less than two miles away that would be seriously impacted if Hudbay is allowed to buy the State parcels.
It’s tempting to diminish our concerns as those of people lucky to live near these beautiful mountains. However, upon closer examination of Hudbay’s proposed Copper World, it’s clear this project is in all of southern Arizona’s backyard.
Its devastating impacts will be felt far and wide.
“Hudbay projects that Copper World will use 13,153 acre-feet of water average each year over the 44-year life of the project. This quantity of water is the amount used annually by 103,000 people or more than 41,000 homes.”
Arizona water law allows mines to pump an unlimited amount of groundwater. Hudbay could pump even more water if they feel the need. It’s increasingly clear that Colorado River water can’t be counted on to replace this groundwater.
Proponents of the project tout the economic benefits of the project (several hundred jobs), but what happens to our regional economy when we run out of clean drinking water?
As noted above, Hudbay seeks to acquire State Land for its project. It’s important to emphasize that the mission of the Arizona State Land Department is to “responsibly manage the … Trust in alignment with the interests of the beneficiaries and Arizona’s future.” In other words, the State has an obligation to ensure that State Trust Land is managed to enhance its value to all potential beneficiaries, including schools. Allowing Hudbay to acquire these parcels solely to build its massive mine and toxic dumps would not only devalue the private land in the area, but also State Trust Land parcels nearby. This action would be wholly inconsistent with the Department’s mission.
These are just two examples of the negative impacts the Copper World project would have. Another serious consequence would be the destruction of the entire regional ecology. The Arizona Game and Fish Department wrote that the original Rosemont proposal would “render the northern portion of the Santa Rita Mountains virtually worthless as wildlife habitat as a functioning ecosystem….” The addition of Copper World on the west side of the mountains would make this destruction much worse.
Other serious impacts include health concerns related to air quality. Hudbay’s proposed construction of a sulfuric acid plant could degrade air quality for miles around.
Every southern Arizona resident and visitor needs to say NO to this exploitation of our magnificent mountains by this foreign mining company, simply to enrich its investors. We all need to contact our elected officials at all levels and demand that they join us in the fight to stop this mine that will be in all of our backyards.