Sahuarita, AZ—Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ) is sharply criticizing Governor Katie Hobbs’ decision to auction 160 acres of State Trust Land requested by Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals for a waste dump at its proposed Copper World mine in the Santa Rita Mountains southeast of Tucson.
“It’s horrible,” Grijalva said during an April 10 tour of the mine site hosted by Save the Scenic Santa Ritas (SSSR) Board President Tom Nelson and Executive Director John Dougherty. The auction of 160 acres of state land south of Corona De Tucson is scheduled for April 29 in Tucson.
Grijalva said she has talked to the Governor about her support of proposed southern Arizona mining projects including Copper World and South 32 outside of Patagonia. Grijalva said Hobbs told her, “We don’t have a choice. We have to,” before immediately adding, “Which is not true. I think we could just make it a lot more difficult.”
Grijalva urged the public to contact Governor Hobbs.
“I think she needs to hear from us,” Grijalva said. “This is a very critical time for the future of Arizona. And if she wants to continue to represent Arizona, she needs to listen to the people who live here and not the outside interests.”
The Congresswoman noted what she’s seen around on the country on a variety of issues is that when “locally we stand together and the states fight back, that we get something done.”
SSSR recently sponsored a full-page advertisement in the Arizona Capitol Times, a Phoenix newspaper that covers the state legislature, calling for Hobbs to withdraw the auction. The ad was signed by 15 elected officials in southern Arizona including the entire Tucson City Council, three members of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, the Tohono O’odham Nation leadership and four state legislators.
Grijalva agreed to sign the ad and an updated version with her handwritten signature will appear in Friday’s edition of the Capitol Times.
Grijalva, whose family has deep roots in southern Arizona, said she was very upset over the environmental devastation that will result if Copper World is built.
“Ah, it makes me sick, really,” she said. “Whether you believe in the history of the land or not, this is beautiful and it is something we need to protect.”
The first term congresswoman succeeds her father, the late Raul Grijalva who held this seat for 22 years and served as Chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee when Democrats controlled the House. Adelita Grijalva was elected last September to fill his seat and will run for reelection in November. Adelita served on the Pima County Board of Supervisors from 2021 until she resigned in 2025 to run for Congress.
Grijalva criticized Hobbs for taking the position that there is nothing she, as governor, can do to stop Copper World.
“We are going to continue this fight because we don’t have any choice. If we roll up our sleeves and say ‘Well, you know, we can’t do anything about it, we are so very sorry,’ that’s such a disservice to the people here, and the people we need to protect this place for,” Grijalva said.
“We are scheduling a meeting with the governor to talk about lot of issues and almost all of them involve mining. I appreciate what’s she done in vetoing bills and some of the things that she’s done that have been really helpful,” Grijalva said. “In this case, for our environment here in southern Arizona, I need her to be stronger.”
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