Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) voted Monday in favor of advancing a controversial permitting bill that would allow Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals much easier access to thousands of acres of the Coronado National Forest on the eastern flank of the Santa Rita Mountains for its Copper World mining project.
Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) opposed the procedural vote on the Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act, known as BAAJA, which passed by a 73-25 margin.
The Senate will now hold up to 30 hours of debate and votes on amendments before it faces a second cloture vote where it will need at least 60 votes to advance to the floor for final passage. The final vote would only need a simple majority to pass. Republicans will continue to control the Senate until Jan. 3, 2027 when the new Congress is sworn in. If the Senate passes the bill, it would then go to the House.
“Save the Scenic Santa Ritas thanks Senator Kelly for voting against this terrible bill and encourages Senator Gallego to reconsider his support for the legislation that would eviscerate environmental and historic preservation laws,” SSSR Executive Director John Dougherty said.
Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) sharply criticized the Senate for advancing the bill.
“Just one week after voters resoundingly rejected the Trump agenda, Congress should not be rushing to pass a bill that gives him even more unilateral authority to bypass our laws,” Grijalva said.
“This legislation was developed without hearings, meaningful tribal consultation and stakeholder engagement, or the rigorous review that a bill of this magnitude would normally go through,” Grijalva said in a statement.
“I remain deeply concerned about provisions that would gut protections for clean air and water, undermine tribal sovereignty, and potentially fast-track data center development,” Grijalva said.
As the vote was unfolding, President Trump announced he would not support wind projects that are cornerstone of BAAJA which is being promoted as necessary to facilitate the development of renewable energy and electric transmission lines.
“The bill hasn’t been fully negotiated,” Trump said at the White House podium. “I will not approve wind turbines because wind turbines are a major loser.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), one of the two Democratic sponsors of the bill and strong supporter of wind energy, said he hopes the upcoming amendment process will address remaining concerns.
“We look forward to working through a healthy amendment process,” Whitehouse told Politico. “Anybody still disappointed after that? We’ve got two years with Democratic-controlled House and Senate, so be positive.”
Southern Arizona governments and tribes have opposed Copper World, formerly known as Rosemont, for decades. Pima County and Tucson Mayor Regina Romero sent letters last week to Kelly and Gallego requesting they vote against the bill.
BAAJA includes the Mining Regulatory Clarity Act which has failed to pass Congress since it was first introduced in 2023. The MRCA was drafted to overturn a 2019 federal court ruling that prohibited Hudbay from dumping mining waste on more than 2,400 acres of the Coronado National Forest. SSSR was a plaintiff in the case that was upheld on appeal in 2022.
The mining industry has used the Rosemont decision — which has not prevented another mine in the country from opening or expanding – to lobby Congress to include MRCA in the permitting bill. MRCA would greatly expand the mining industry’s access to federal lands while other sections of BAAJA would slash environmental oversight and historic preservation laws.
“Removing the MRCA from the permitting bill would keep that status quo in place for mining which already is lightly regulated under a law passed in 1872,” Dougherty said. “The mining industry is grossly overstating the impact of the Rosemont decision in an attempt to convince Congress to increase its power to seize control of America’s public lands.”
Gallego voted against the MRCA when he was a member of the House in 2024 and again in April 2025 during a Senate committee vote. Gallego was elected to the Senate in 2024.
Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-NM, who is the other Democratic cosponsor of BAAJA, joined Gallego in voting against MRCA when it was before Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.
“We strongly encourage Senator Gallego to offer an amendment to remove the MRCA from BAAJA and to join Senator Kelly in voting against the bill,” Dougherty said.
Please contact Arizona Senators Ruben Gallego (202-224-4521) and Mark Kelly (202-224-2235) and urge them to vote against BAAJA. Also contact, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (202-224-6542) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies (202-225-5936) and request they oppose the bill.
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