Why, as a fifth-generation miner, I oppose the Resolution Copper mine at Oak Flat

Mining is in my blood.

I am a fifth-generation miner born and raised in Superior. I worked in the industry for more than 20 years.

I don’t oppose mining, but I am firmly against Resolution Copper’s proposed mine at Oak Flat because it will destroy my community’s water.

Simply put, the future of the residents of Superior and other cities east of Phoenix is at imminent risk because the U.S. government could soon give away federally protected land to Resolution Copper.

Resolution Copper could destroy our water

Resolution Copper, co-owned by two multinational giants, plans to build the largest underground mine in North America, which will create a 1.8-mile-long, 1,000-foot-deep crater.

This crater will be twice as big as the Meteor Crater near Flagstaff and will use at least 250 billion gallons of water over 40 years.

That’s enough water for 140,000 homes in the same period.

The block cave mining method that Resolution Copper plans to employ won’t only exhaust the water of a region already suffering from megadrought and severe water shortages, but it will also cause irreparable damage to our precious water resources.

New mine proposed: For ecologically diverse Patagonia mountains

Resolution Copper will use most of the water to process ore and transport its toxic mining tailings, threatening groundwater and surface water quality, including the Gila River.

Several studies, including a 2022 Bureau of Land Management report, have warned about the irreversible destruction to the hydrology of the area.

They also have detailed the severe deficiencies of the Final Environmental Impact Statement, which didn’t address several serious environmental issues, such as surface water hydrology for tailings storage, the climate change impact, and the project’s impact on regional water shortages.

Mine is not in Arizona's, America's interests

Despite what this mine will do to our water in Arizona, the U.S. Forest Service plans to republish the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) this spring.

The publication of this FEIS will trigger a 60-day period in which the U.S. government will transfer Oak Flat to Resolution Copper, a joint venture owned by BHP and Rio Tinto.

Many people don’t know that the Aluminum Corporation of China is Rio Tinto’s single largest shareholder, with 14.6% of the company’s stock.

Resolution Copper assures that its proposed mining project will produce up to 25% of the copper America needs, but they have not yet committed to keeping American copper in the United States.

The reality is that, as it has happened in the past, Resolution Copper will extract raw American copper, then ship it overseas to China to be processed into products that will be sold back to us, hurting Americans and American taxpayers.

How can the interests of a foreign mining company be more important than the well-being and interests of the American people?

How can the U.S. government give our natural resources to Resolution Copper, put our precious and limited water resources at risk, and violate the religious rights of the Native Americans of this region in Arizona?

Biden, Congress must act to protect Oak Flat

In the 1950s, President Dwight D. Eisenhower protected Oak Flat from mining. This federally protected area in the Tonto National Forest is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as a Traditional Cultural Property.

For almost a decade, congressional bills were introduced to attempt to give Oak Flat to mining companies, and all failed to pass the House and Senate.

But in 2014, Sens. John McCain and Jeff Flake added a midnight rider to the National Defense Authorization Act, a must-pass bill, that approved the land transfer of Oak Flat to Resolution Copper.

Because of the action of two elected officials almost a decade ago, Americans could soon pay a high price.

I urge the Biden administration and Congress to act quickly to save Oak Flat from foreign mining.

It is time to conserve our water for current and future generations, protect America’s natural resources from foreign exploitation, and honor and respect the rights of Indigenous communities.

Henry Muñoz is a member of HECHO’s Conservation Leadership Council and chairman of Concerned Citizens and Retired Miners Association. Reach him at hmunoz1@yahoo.com.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Resolution Copper is a threat, fifth-generation miner says