There are at least nine other tribes that have asked the Tohono O'ohdam Nation to lead the charge and do whatever they can to make sure the Rosemont Copper Mine never becomes established. These tribes include: Gila River Indian Community, Ak-Chin Indian Community, Salt River Indian Community, Tohono O'ohdam Nation, Ft. Sill Apache Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Mescalaro Apache Tribe, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, San Carlos Apache Tribe, White Mountain Apache Tribe, Yavapai Apache Nation, Pueblo of Zuni
According to writer Sarabeth Henne of Cronkite News: The proposed open-pit copper mine would be about 6,500 by 6,000 feet -- more than a mile wide in each direction -- with a final depth up to 2,900 feet, or, about a half mile deep, according to the Forest Service's final environmental impact statement on the Rosemont project. Of the 1.96 billion tons that would be excavated from the site, about 700 million tons would be ore and the remaining 1.2 billion tons would be waste rock.
The mine would be in operation from 24 to 30 years, generating an estimated $136.7 million in state and local taxes while creating a projected 434 direct jobs and 1,260 indirect jobs per year in Pima County alone, the Forest Service report said.
"It would just be a shame if projects as consequential as this were to take on some sort of partisan coloring," said Garrick Taylor, the senior vice president for government and communications at the Arizona Chamber of Commerce.
He noted that 17 government agencies have a hand in approval of the permit.
"We believe it's still a worthwhile project and will do tremendous good for the region and the state," Taylor said. "Copper mining is incredibly important to the legacy of the state."
But critics say no amount of economic benefit can outweigh the potential environmental damage of the mine.
"It is the absolute worst place you could pick to put an open-pit copper mine in terms of all the impacts to endangered species, threats to Tucson's water supply and all these other issues," said Randy Serraglio, a conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity.
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