Supervisors reaffirm support for Resolution copper mine

By Brian Wright | Casa Grande Dispatch

A proposed copper mine east of Superior got another vote of support from the Pinal County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday.

Although one citizen spoke in opposition to a resolution to urge Congress to help the project move forward, the supervisors unanimously agreed the mine would be a huge benefit to the Superior area and the county as a whole. Resolution Copper is “actively engaged in the development” of the under- ground mine, according to the resolution.

The mine is located in and around Oak Flat, east of Superior in northeastern Pinal County.

District 1 Supervisor Pete Rios, the board’s lone Democrat, said he’s supported the project to construct the mine for the last “five or six years” and said the people in the Copper Corridor, which includes Superior, Kearny, Hayden, Dudleyville and Mam- moth, among others, are more than comfortable with mining in their area.

“These are folk who have never feared copper mining; it has been their livelihoods for generations and generations,” he said.

Rios said Resolution Cop- per is the “only real economic engine” in the area. He also said the current and former mayor of Superior were very supportive of the project. The project, however, is outside the town limits of Superior, which makes it county land.

District 5 Supervisor Todd House asked the municipalities in the area to respect the board’s wishes on the copper mine because it’s Pinal County land. He said he’s learned many people don’t like it when the county doesn’t respect a town’s wishes when it’s a town matter.

House said the project would have “a dramatic impact on the entire state.”

District 4 Supervisor Anthony Smith said it’s frustrating for him when the county gets so close to securing a project of this scope only to “give these projects away.”

“We cannot create a diverse economy in Pinal County unless we take hold of these projects,” said Smith, who serves as the board’s vice chairman.