Washington, DC – Yesterday, Rep. Raúl M. Grijalva and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords sent a letter to Jeanine Derby, Supervisor of the Coronado National Forest, requesting that the environmental review process for the Rosemont Mine be suspended and that a new review be initiated, due to inherent flaws in the ongoing “scoping” part of the review process.

“I am troubled by reports from constituents that there has been widespread confusion about the Forest Service’s environmental review for the mine,” stated Rep. Grijalva. “I believe the process has been flawed from the beginning because the Forest Service’s goals with regard to the mine haven’t been made clear to the public in published notices and important documents have not been released, making meaningful comment from the public and local elected officials difficult.”

The letter to Supervisor Derby requests that the ongoing scoping process for the mine be suspended until a completed Mine Plan of Operations is received from the project’s proponent, Augusta Resources, Inc., and that a new process be initiated upon receipt of that plan. The letter also requests that extensive studies be performed or solicited by the Forest Service on the water resources to be impacted by the mine proposal, and that a formal peer review process be set up to ensure appropriate and objective review of the project before approval.

Click on the link below to view the letter.