PHOENIX (AP) — Native American tribes are seeking an injunction to halt work on a copper mine project they say will desecrate burial and other sacred sites in the Santa Rita Mountains of southeastern Arizona.
The Tohono O'odham Nation, the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, and the Hopi Tribe filed the emergency request Wednesday in federal court. They are represented by the environmental law firm Earthjustice.
Canadian mining company Hudbay Minerals Inc. plans to build Rosemont Mine on the slope of the mountains visible off scenic state Highway 83 in southern Arizona wine country. A Hudbay spokesperson could not be immediately located late Wednesday for comment on the legal move.
Lawsuits challenging the $1.9 billion project were filed earlier this year by the tribes and by a group of nonprofit environmental organizations.
