By Tony Davis | Arizona Daily Star
The Forest Service laid much of the groundwork Friday for approval of the Rosemont Mine by releasing a final environmental report saying essentially that while the mine will cause negative impacts, it’s now clearly in line with nearly all environmental laws.
But the final environmental impact statement also shows that legal uncertainties and significant differences of opinion among agencies remain in the way of the mine’s approval.
The mine’s ability to meet environmental laws is crucial because the Forest Service has said repeatedly — including in this report —that under a separate mining law dating to 1872, it can’t say “no” to a mine on its land if the project meets all other applicable requirements.
The new report, filling six volumes and totaling 2,457 pages, is a key step toward a final decision on the project, now in the works for more than seven years. The Forest Service has said it will issue a draft decision in mid-December and a final decision approximately four months later.
Related: Move afoot to move Green Valley, Rosemont Mine to Santa Cruz County
