SUPERIOR, Ariz. (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva has introduced a bill to keep the U.S. Forest Service from turning over land in Arizona for a massive copper mine.
The parcel of land in the Tonto National Forest east of Phoenix was set to be transferred to Resolution Copper this week. But the Biden administration pulled back an environmental review that cleared the way for the land transfer to further consult with Native American tribes.
The land exchange was included in a must-pass defense bill in 2014. Grijalva's bill introduced Monday seeks to repeal that provision to protect Oak Flat, held sacred by tribes.
