PHOENIX, September 4, 2019 — For Immediate Release.
Tonto National Forest staff continue preparations for hosting the first two public meetings to discuss the Forest Service’s analysis in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Resolution Copper Project and Land Exchange. The meetings will take place on:
- September 10, 2019, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the Superior junior/senior High School cafeteria, 1500 Panther Drive, Superior, Arizona
- September 12, 2019, from 5 to 8:30 p.m. at Central Arizona College, 3736 E. Bella Vista Road, San Tan Valley, Arizona
Three additional meetings are scheduled to occur later in September and early October.
The Tonto released the DEIS for public review on August 9. The DEIS describes effects of the proposed Resolution Copper Project and offers five potential alternatives developed considering feedback from the 2016 scoping period. A 90-day public comment period began August 10 and concludes November 7.
Forest Service officials say the submission of substantive and concise comments is an important role the public plays in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process. Substantive comments are most useful when they:
- Question, with reasonable basis, the accuracy of information in the EIS
- Question, with reasonable basis, the adequacy of, methodology for, or assumptions used for the environmental analyses
- Present new information relevant to the analyses
- Present reasonable alternatives other than those analyzed in the EIS
- Suggest changes or revisions in one or more of the alternatives
The Resolution Copper project is a proposed underground copper mine near the town of Superior, Arizona. The project would create one of the largest copper mines in the United States along with, on average, 1,500 direct employees and $134 million per year in compensation.
The DEIS, supporting documents and instructions on how to comment, are available at the project website.