By The Arizona Republic Editorial Board
(Editor’s note: Posting opinion pieces does not necessarily reflect the opinions of Rose Law Group.)
The effort to open a copper mine near Superior ran into two large roadblocks.
The first was the government shutdown. That will pass.
The second was an innocuous sounding amendment that could scuttle the entire project.
Resolution Copper wants to swap 5,344 acres of land around Arizona for 2,422 acres of ore-rich federal land. The swap requires congressional action, and it appeared to be headed for House approval until Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., offered an amendment to allow the secretary of Interior to remove any areas he considers sacred or cultural.
