I can't answer that right now but I will try to find out.
People unfamiliar with the mine permit process have no clue how big these permit applications can get. And an MPO?? I saw one that was almost 200 pages! REMEMBER, SIRG only needs to update and get the permits transferred.
Take a look at this one for a new copper mine in a recreational area! They bought the claims in in 2004 and began test drilling in 2005. It is now Feb 2013 and they still don't have all their permits after 9 years! They need Congress to approve the use of 3,000 acres of Coronado Forest Land for their tailing piles. They have burned through over $40M!
There are two lawsuits filed against them and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife.
The proposed Rosemont mine will have no direct access to a rail line. The only access to the mine site is via scenic State Route 83 and I-10. All of the ore extracted from the mine and all of the equipment, chemicals, and explosives will be trucked on that rural highway. The access routes for the proposed Rosemont Mine runs straight through anticipated growth areas for the City of Tucson.
MINE PLAN OF OPERATIONS
filed on July 11, 2007 with the United States Forest Service
http://rosemontcopper.com/mpo_official
An update on the permitting process for the proposed Rosemont mine (April 2012 )
In response to the ADEQ issuing the permit on aquifer pollution standards, Gayle Hartmann, SSSR President, made the following statement: “ADEQ issuing a permit for Rosemont comes as no surprise. It is unfortunate but true, that, at present, the state Department of Environmental Quality is not an independent body. It is heavily influenced by an extreme state legislature that neither cares about nor understands the damage that this mine would do the water resources of the Santa Cruz and Cienega basins. Fortunately, receiving this permit does not mean that the mine can begin operation. The mine’s plan of operation is in violation of Federal Clean Air Act and Clean Water Act standards. The Federal agencies that enforce those acts are much more objective than the state DEQ. Thus, it is very unlikely that the mine will receive the necessary Federal permits.” Individuals, organizations and agencies who submitted comments have the chance to appeal ADEQ’s decision by May 10th.
Other permits still needed by Rosemont:
Forest Service Record of Decision (ROD)
Perhaps the most important permit the proposed mine still needs to get is the decision from the Forest Service whether or not to allow Rosemont to use roughly 3,500 acres of Forest Service land (our public land) as a dumping ground for waste rock and tailings. In 2008 the Coronado National Forest began the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process to analyze the proposal submitted by Rosemont Copper Company - Mine Plan of Operations. 11,000 public comments were sent in during the scoping process in 2008, and an additional 25,000 comments were submitted during the public comment period for the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in late 2011. The EPA recently weighed in on the DEIS, saying it was one of the worst such statements they had reviewed, and that it underestimates the project’s environmental effects. The EPA said they believe the project should not proceed as proposed, and the information provided in the Draft EIS is inadequate to meet the purposes of NEPA, and that these inadequacies be circulated for full public review in a revised or supplemental Draft EIS prior to the issuance of any decision regarding the project.
Section 404 Permit of the Clean Water Act - Army Corps of Engineers
Perhaps the second-most important permit the proposed mine still requires is a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers. This permit establishes a program to regulate the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the United States. Unlike the Forest Service, the Army Corps of Engineers clearly has the ability to deny this permit if they decide the project would negatively impact Davidson Canyon, a designated Outstanding Water of the United States. Additionally, the EPA has veto power over the ACOE. In a letter dated Feb. 13, 2012, the EPA stated that permit approval would have “substantial and unacceptable impacts to ‘aquatic resources of national importance’ (ARNI), including Cienega Creek and Davidson Canyon” and if unresolved, could provide an adequate basis for permit denial under the regulations in any environmental setting impacting waters of the U.S.
Air Quality Permit - Pima County Department of Environmental Quality
Under the U.S. Clean Air Act, Rosemont Copper needs an Air Emissions Permit. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency delegates authority to the Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) which in turn delegates authority for permitting to Pima County Dept of Environmental Quality. Rosemont submitted the permit application in September, 2010, and Pima County denied the permit in October of 2011, and upheld their decision in December of 2011 after the decision had been appealed by the company. It is unknown at this time whether ADEQ will take over the permit, whether Rosemont will take legal action against the agency’s decision, or just reapply.
Arizona Corporation Commission approval of TEP 138-kV line (THEY NEED POWER!)
While the Arizona Corporation Commission conditionally approved the transmission line that would service the proposed Rosemont project in March of 2012, the Commission voted 5-0 to delay the approval for at least one more public hearing and more evidence-gathering, which opens the door to testimony, previously excluded, about the mine’s overall environmental impacts. The public hearing has yet to be scheduled.
