The independent Tucson Sentinel ran an excellent article on BHP-Rio Tinto’s planned Resolution copper mine, in Arizona. The copper mine would be the largest of its kind in the U.S. The Sentinel reports the company has obtained official and public support by making donations to the town of Superior, as well as working with environmental and recreation groups, such as the Arizona Audubon Society and the Nature Conservancy; both have remained silent on a controversial public land swap that would benefit not only the mining company, but the two large environmental organizations, as well.
From the Tucson Sentinel:
Bob Witzeman, conservation chair for the Maricopa Audubon Society, often drives to Oak Flat to enjoy the diversity of birds drawn to the area’s rocky hillsides and canyons, its large trees and the water in Devil’s Canyon.
If he’s lucky, a black-chinned sparrow, which is on the National Audubon Society’s watch list of species in decline, will make an appearance.
Witzeman said he’s disappointed that Audubon Arizona, an umbrella group for local chapters around the state, hasn’t come out in opposition of the land exchange. He contends that the reason lies in $250,000 in grants and donations that Resolution Copper and Rio Tinto have given to the Audubon Arizona since 2003.
“We would be brain dead to believe that the money they’ve given to Audubon Arizona doesn’t have anything to do with the land exchange,” Witzeman said. “It’s a red flag.”
Adding to his concerns: Two parcels prized by Audubon Arizona and The Nature Conservancy, which advocates for preserving ecologically valuable land, are included in property Resolution Copper wants to trade for Oak Flat: nearly 1,000 areas of grassland that are part of the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch southeast of Tucson and 3,100 acres of mesquite forest on the 7B Ranch near San Manuel.
Leaders of Audubon Arizona and The Nature Conservancy have said they neither support nor oppose the overall plan. But each group has formally attested to the conservation value of the Appleton-Whittell and 7B Ranch parcels, something that Resolution Copper has noted prominently in letters and testimony to Congress.
Resolution Copper’s website lists those groups, as well as Superior, on a page touting partnerships that “enable us to offer unique solutions to challenges in the areas of environmental, economic and social well-being.”
The Appleton-Whittell property would be deeded to the Bureau of Land Management’s Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, which ties into the research ranch. The National Audubon Society manages the ranch, which is a haven for birds and other wildlife.
Linda Kennedy, director of the ranch for Audubon, said a Resolution Copper consultant worked with her group and others, including the Sonoran Institute, The Nature Conservancy and the Bureau of Land Management, to identify parcels that would be of value in the swap.
“We get no financial benefit from this exchange,” Kennedy said. “This is about conservation.”
Sarah Porter, executive director of Audubon Arizona, said her organization got involved when Resolution Copper’s former CEO, Bruno Hegner, attended a meeting to explain all of the parcels proposed in the exchange and asked for support. She said Audubon Arizona has pressed, among other things, for Congress to require detailed study of the mine’s environmental impact.
“We asked: What can we do to make sure there is the least damage by the mine? What can we do to make sure there is the maximum amount of mitigation and the maximum benefit for the state?” she said.
Porter said the money donated by Resolution Copper and Rio Tinto has come in over several years and is a relatively small amount compared to the organization’s operating budget, Porter said, adding that the donations and grants are tied to specific conservation projects and didn’t influence the group’s decision not to take a position on the land exchange.
Jennifer Russo, Resolution Copper’s spokeswoman, said the company needed the expertise of conservation groups and the BLM to identify land that would be of value in exchange for Oak Flat.
“It’s a bit like buying a home,” she said. “What’s a great home to me may not be a great home to you.”
Russo also said that the company draws a clear line between its charitable donations and agreements with Superior and the Queen Creek Coalition in which the company has asked for support letters.
“Never ever is there a stipulation that we are seeking support in exchange for those donations,” Russo said. “The money is tied to a specific business goals we might have for conservation or education.”
7B Ranch, which contains one of oldest mesquite forests in Arizona, lies near the fragile San Pedro River. In 2007, Resolution Copper agreed to pay The Nature Conservancy $45,000 a year to manage the property, Russo said.
A call to The Nature Conservancy’s Phoenix office was directed to the regional office in Colorado. Aaron Drew, a spokesman for the office, said Resolution Copper approached the group along with other stakeholders for help identifying parcels to be included in the land exchange.
Drew said in an e-mailed statement that The Nature Conservancy has been working with land owners, public agencies and corporations to protect, restore and manage San Pedro River for 30 years. He said the group’s arrangement to manage 7B Ranch is one of many formal and informal partnerships it has to help preserve the area.
Bahr, executive director of the Sierra Club’s state chapter, said that the relationships Resolution Copper cultivated with the Audubon Society and The Nature Conservancy allowed the company to give the impression that the groups support the swap.
“People have to be careful about the impressions they create,” Bahr said. “It’s not just what the positions of these groups are, it’s how they can be characterized.”
LSMN
Eve Divine
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