An Australian-based company called South32 is pushing to expand its Hermosa mine onto public land in Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains, and we need your help to stop it.
This area, part of ancestral Tohono O’odham lands, is a global biodiversity hotspot and home to more than 100 imperiled species, from jaguars to yellow-billed cuckoos. It’s also a hub for a thriving eco-tourism industry, which the mine threatens to bury in noise, traffic, and light pollution.
Also at risk is the area’s precious groundwater: The mine proposes to pump and discharge 6.84 million gallons per day, wreaking havoc on nearby springs and creeks, as well as wildlife that depend on them.
Using the form below, tell the U.S. Forest Service to protect the integrity of this beloved Sky Island and do all due diligence in its environmental review for the project.
Hermosa is the first hardrock mine included in the federal “Fast-41” scheme to fast-track permitting for certain energy projects. But nomination isn’t approval, and this is our chance to raise issues that the agency should address in its study of the proposed mine.
Take action today and join others throughout the region in speaking up for this Sky Island gem. Comments are due by June 10 (see details + tips).