By Rebekah L. Sanders, The Republic | azcentral.com
A controversial Arizona mining bill that appeared dead for this Congress has gotten new life, as supporters have tucked it deep into a defense bill that lawmakers must pass before the end of the year.
The legislation would authorize a federal land swap to allow an international mining company to drill into one of North America’s richest copper deposits near Superior, about 60 miles east of Phoenix.
House lawmakers slipped the land-exchange bill late Tuesday night into the 1,600-page National Defense Authorization Act, a key bill that continues funding for the Defense Department.
