Lake Superior Mining News

Resolution Explores for Copper Outside Superior, Arizona; Photo courtesy Flickr

Rio Tinto, a company that has made its name exploiting public and indigenous mineral wealth for decades, is set to make off with an astounding $140 billion in publicly-held mineral rights, in Arizona, for what is expected to be North America’s largest copper mine.

On Wednesday, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee approved a land swap allowing Resolution Copper Mining (a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP-Billiton) access to 2,400 acres of the Tonto National Forest.  The area contains sites sacred to local Native American tribes and was previously protected from mining activities by the Eisenhower administration.

According to the Arizona Republic, in a deal reached between the Obama administration, Senate Democrats and Arizona Senator John McCain, the only thing standing in Resolution’s way is a federal environmental review that must be completed prior to the land deal.

An opponent of the deal, US Representative Raúl Grijalva has concerns with Rio Tinto’s human rights record and urges a full investigation before a land swap is considered.

US Representative Raúl Grijalva opposes Rio Tinto's land swap and condemns the company's human rights record

“(Rio Tinto) has as bad a record as you’ll find anywhere in the world, yet the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee (approved) a deal that would grant it another $140 billion in mineral rights currently held on public land,” Grijalva said in a prepared statement.

“We, as lawmakers, owe the public some due diligence before rushing to pass a bad bill in the name of job creation.  The economy cannot be jump-started at the expense of the labor, civil rights and environmental laws we hold dear in this country.”

“Voting to pass this legislation blatantly ignores Rio Tinto’s troubling human rights record,” Grijalva said, pointing to the Norwegian government’s recent decision to divest itself of approximately $890 million in Rio Tinto stock after deeming the company’s activities overseas “grossly unethical.”

“The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, by moving the legislation forward without greater consideration of Rio Tinto’s worldwide business practices, has done “a grave disservice to our taxpayers and abused Congress’ role as the guardian of public resources,” he said.

Grijalva  serves as Chairman of the National Parks, Forests and Public Lands Subcommittee on the House Committee on Natural Resources where he could block a vote on the bill.

Lake Superior Mining News has reported on Rio Tinto’s theft of public resources in the past.

In Michigan the company plans to mine copper and nickel from its planned Eagle Mine.  The multi-billion dollar project is partially located on public land and would use a rock outcropping sacred to local Native American tribes for its mine portal.

In Utah, Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon has criticized Kennecott Copper (wholly-owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto) for exploring on prized public recreation land.

Similarly, mining companies in Minnesota have  found it easy garner political support for the use of public land in order to mine metallic sulfide deposits.

PolyMet’s NorthMet project will move forward if the company can gain access to roughly 6,700 acres of public land in the Superior National Forest.  US Representative Jim Oberstar and US Senator Amy Klobuchar have introduced legislation that would directly give PolyMet that land.

Duluth Metals and Franconia Minerals also have projects, located just outside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, in Minnesota, that would rely on the use of the Superior National Forest.