State Rep. Walter Blackman, R-Apache Junction, sent a letter to the federal government last week backing a project that could create tens of thousands of jobs in Arizona.
Blackman’s letter expressed his support for the Resolution Copper project’s Final Environmental Impact Statement, which is trying to build an underground copper mine in Superior.
The U.S. Forest Service finished the impact statement in June. The U.S. Department of Agriculture described the statement’s documents as helping advance President Donald Trump’s goal of domestic mineral production.
“The Resolution Copper Project is a prime example of how we can harness America’s abundant resources to fuel growth in rural America, reduce our dependence on foreign imports, strengthen our supply chains, and enhance our national security,” Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins said.
Blackman called the Resolution Copper project a “rare opportunity to strengthen Arizona’s economy.” He added that this project will create “high-wage jobs, critical infrastructure investments and lasting economic support for local businesses.”
According to Blackman’s letter, thousands of construction jobs will be created for this project.
Furthermore, this project will create many mining jobs. The letter states Arizona’s average salary for miners is around $100,000. Blackman described these mining jobs as ones that “can transform people’s lives.”
The Resolution Cooper project is also expected to add tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue for state and local governments, the letter states. This tax revenue would go towards investing in public roads and essential services.
The Final Environmental Impact Statement has taken over 10 years to complete in compliance with the 2014 National Defense Authorization Act. The projected mining site needed to undergo a change in ownership from the federal government to the project operators, Rio Tinto and BHP Group. The land transfer will not take place until Aug. 19, according to a government press release.
During this time span, the project underwent environmental review with input from tribal governments, local communities and other various stakeholders, Blackman said.
“Resolution Copper has made a genuine effort to work with the community and earn local support— truly being a good neighbor,” Blackman stated. “This project is ready to move forward, and it’s time it does. I urge the Forest Service to act without further delay.”
Here’s hoping sanity returns to Apache Junction and Arizona workers and investors win!
Gee, has the CBD filed suit yet? If not, why not, this is right up Kierán Suckling’s alley to make money off us taxpayers. The liberals/greenies got to be tearing their hair out over this…….let them go hug a tree…..
well the left will jump for joy as this will give them something to bitch about. Yes the smelter in wickenburg has been closed, pima mines have stopped producing, they have not approved the mining of the whetstones and the mines up in globe have been closed so yes lotsa mines in the state but more idiots than ever to fight them. When i college I worked for the sears auto in park mall and we sold hundreds of thousand of dollars of tires and accessories a year. Times were good but then the idiots showed up, also worked in timber industry up in whiteriver area and that got shut down around the same time. FATCO still operates I think a chip mill now.
But ya know what the biggest issue will be this time? The requirement to WORK for pay instead of sitting on ass at house!
Profits for Aussies using Arizona’s natural resources. They treat us like 3rd world citizens.
Take a drive on the streets of Tucson, it’s not far off from many 3rd world countries. Amazing how liberals destroyed a unique and beautiful part of our country creating the fifth poorest metro.
You’re just ignorant on the matter. Even if the mining company is headquartered in Australia, the workers will be locals, and local and US suppliers will be making the lions share of the money.
Led by Jane Fonda’s loony group Az Center for Biological Diversity who has successfully shut down almost all economic development in Southern Arizona for the last twenty years, they will raise their green hair and spew their vomit all over the project, again, and again, and again and the Southern Arizona Communist party, democrats, city of Tucson and Board of Stupids, will throw everything at it to stop. Prosperity will NOT be allowed in Southern Arizona.
CBD, led by a bona-fide Irish Druid & enviro-legal shakedown artist, is a gigantic poverty machine vs. the people of Arizona. Only in DumF**kistan Tucson (their HQ) would these people be able to reside. Take a look at this gigantic staff: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/about/staff/
Nailed it MX……poor and dumb at all costs.
Trump needs to neuter enviro’s
The environmental review took 10 years? This is insane! That is not a genuine effort but a scam to thwart industrial development. No wonder we cannot propser.
Yeah, but there’s a new regime that’s reversing all the red tape. Thank goodness!