Arizona Copper Mine Confronted with Appeal in Supreme Court

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): Apache Stronghold- a native American group stated that it will take the fight over the proposed Arizona copper mine by Rio Tinto to the Supreme Court.

The San Francisco-based 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals had recently upheld the previous Arizona district court ruling, thus approving land swap for the mine and rejecting the argument by the indigenous group that the land be preserved for its religious and cultural value. It must be noted that the U.S. Congress had decided to grant the land to Rio Tinto and its minority partner BHP towards development of the copper mine project.

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As per arguments by the non-profit group, the land swap is in violation of religious protection law as it would lead to complete destruction of a site where indigenous ceremonies are being held for several generations. Blasting the sacred site will violate religious liberty in the region, they said.

Meantime, the company spokesperson stated that the mine plan was developed further to consultations with government authorities, Native American communities and others. Resolution copper will continue to engage with those groups during the entire development phase, he added.

The U.S. government is yet to make an official comment on the development.