Twice in the past month, the New York Times' Green blog has run stories discussing the Rosemont Mine, emphasizing that this endless issue is taking on national significance as a final decision date could be nearing.
The first story dealt with the jaguar photos taken very near the proposed copper mine site in October and November. Although its major purpose was to describe the very polarizing dispute over whether the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service should designate critical habitat for the endangered cat, it also touched closely on the mine issue. The two issues are llnked, since the mine lies within the proposed jaguar critical habitat.
Reporter Leslie MacMillan led vividly: "Last fall, remote cameras in a rugged expanse of desert grasslands in Southern Arizona captured arresting images of a jaguar slinking through the underbrush, its yellow eyes fixed on some distant sight."
The second article reported on the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality's Jan. 31st decision to issue the mine a crucial air quality permit. In MacMillan's words, the decision brings Rosemont Copper "one step closer to building a mile-wide, half-mile-deep, open-pit copper mine on public land 30 miles south of Tucson."
The paper ran a third article on Rosemont about a year ago. focusing heavily on the water issue.
Please Wait…