Arizona Tribe Opposes Copper Mine Land Swap Bill
The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a bill next week that will allow a mining company to take over 2,400 acres of current federal land to develop the world’s third largest copper mine in eastern Arizona. The San Carlos Apache Tribe calls the area sacred and is concerned about the mine’s environmental impacts.
"I mean these are jobs that pay $45,000-$165,000," Gosar said. "These are jobs that people are investing in America buying cars and buying homes and that’s how you get an economy rolling."
It’s unclear from the mining company’s economic report how many of those jobs will be local and what the costs might be.
The San Carlos Apache Tribe doesn't want this, even though the tribe is dealing with a 65 percent unemployment rate. Tribal chairman Terry Rambler said that land is sacred. It’s where they go to pray and it’s the home of the tribe’s ancestors and holy beings.
"The strength of our prayers, the connection that we have toward our creator is based on that whole having that balance between us as a human being as an Apache with the environment around us," Rambler said.
The tribe maintained the proposed mine would violate a century old treaty and two presidential orders that prohibit mining.
Rambler would like to see an independent environmental review done before the land is handed over. Gosar asked for that study, but the amendment failed.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The U.S. House of Representatives as rescheduled the vote on this bill. It will likely take place sometime next week, unless there are other legislative priorities.
