Hudbay's Copper World Fact Sheet
Last updated March 5, 2025
For comprehensive details and talking points regarding the proposed Copper World mining project in the Santa Ritas, download our fact sheet below.
Current Activities
Last updated February 3, 2025
Lawsuit with Arizona State Land Department's Board of Appeals:
The Judge presiding over the case has scheduled oral arguments on March 6, 2025.
On Friday, January 17, 2024, SSSR and FICO file a Motion to Stay as a continuation of our to work to ultimately have the right-of-way revoked and construction on the route stopped permanently.
On Nov. 12, 2024 - In the wake of our September victory in an Open Meetings Law violation lawsuit, Save the Scenic the Santa Ritas (SSSR) and Farmers Investment Company (FICO) filed a new lawsuit seeking to overturn a crucial right-of-way across the Santa Rita Experimental Range (SRER) that is necessary for the operation of the proposed $1.3 billion Copper World mining complex. Read the full press release here.
BACKGROUND: In January 2024, SSSR and Farmers Investment Company, a Sahuarita pecan farming operation filed a lawsuit alleging that the Arizona State Land Department's Board of Appeals violated the state’s Open Meeting Law in connection with granting Hudbay a right-of-way to pipe toxic tailings across the state's pristine Santa Rita Experimental Range. The right-of-way also covered a high voltage power line, communications line, and an access road. To date, none of the infrastructure has been installed.
On Sept. 9, 2024, the court ruled in our favor when Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott A. Blaney ruled the Arizona State Land Department's (ASLD) Board of Appeals failed to disclose in its Dec. 8, 2022, public meeting notice that the right-of-way would include two pipelines that would transport mining waste, known as tailings, across a portion of the state-owned Santa Rita Experimental Range. Read the full press release >> bit.ly/oml-pressrelease
On Oct. 8, 2024, the ASLD’s Board of Appeals voted 3-1 to rectify the Open Meetings Law violation related to the issuance of a right-of-way.
We believe the Board of Appeals did not legally ratify the Open Meetings Law violation during the Oct. 8, 2024 meeting. We believe the Board’s agenda did not meet the legal requirements to cure an Open Meetings Law violation. View the full meeting recording and read our press release here.
ADEQ's Air Quality Permit:
On January 31, 2025, SSSR joined the Center for Biological Diversity and Farmers Investment Company and appealed ADEQ’s decision to grant an air pollution permit to the Copper World mine. Read the full press release here.
On January 2, 2025, ADEQ granted Hudbay a Class II Air Permit for the construction of Copper World. SSSR and partners are currently reviewing the permit terms, against the comments we submitted and will respond accordingly. Viee the final permit here >> azdeq.gov/aqd/copperworld
The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality closed the public comment period on Sept. 15, 2024. Read comments made through the online portal here (note, this does not include comments sent by email or mail)
SSSR worked with the Center for Biological Diversity to prepare our technical comments. The letter was submitted to ADEQ with a total of 15 total signatories, view here >> bit.ly/cw-air-comments
For all details, including meeting recordings and comments letters, visit bit.ly/sssr-airpermit
Dust Mitigation:
ADEQ explained to us that Copper World was granted a Dust Activity Permit in April 2024, which is different from the Air Quality Permit, granted on January 2, 2025. After hearing from us, ADEQ conducted a site inspection and concluded that “no alleged deficiencies were noted during the course of the inspection.” Read the inspection report here.
We’ve been told that a working group will be formed in February that will work on developing a dust mitigation plan. The group will be led by ADEQ, Hudbay, Pima County, and the Town of Sahuarita. Jerry Bustmante from Hudbay is in charge of bringing this group together and there should be progress on this in February. SSSR is following up on this effort regularly, and pushing for resident concerns to be heard.
PDEQ air compliance says they are doing weekly field assessments of Santa Rita road traffic and associated dust along with gathering other information and data to assist the working group developing the dust mitigation plan.
ADEQ's Aquifer Protection Permit:
On August 29, 2024, Copper World was granted an Aquifer Protection Permit by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. View the final permit here >> azdeq.gov/wqd/CopperWorld
Our team reviewed the permit closely, and while there are many flaws in the permit's ability to protect the safety of the region's water, we did not find a viable legal path to challenge the permit due to the structure of Arizona's laws.
On April 7, 2024, comments by SSSR and 13 other groups were submitted in response during the open comment period. These comments include reports by four expert scientists who reviewed the APP in detail, as well as a copy of Pima County's comments.
Arizona State Land Auction:
Hudbay has asked the Arizona State Land Department to auction off two parcels of state trust land so that they can more easily dump their mine tailings and waste rock produced by their proposed Copper World and Rosemont mines.
These dumps of millions or even billions of tons of contaminated rock will be less than a mile from homes and an elementary school in the Ocotillo Rim Trail neighborhood.
ACTION ALERT : We urge you to write letters to Governor Hobbs and Executive Officer of the Arizona State Land Department, Robyn Sahid, to stop the sale. Download a letter template here >> scenicsantaritas.org/write-letters
Rosemont Mine (Proposed Operations on East Side):
In May 2022, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a 2019 ruling by a federal judge in Tucson, who ruled that the Forest Service had improperly approved Rosemont Copper's plans for dumping waste rock and tailings on Forest Service land where it did not have valid mining claims. Primary operations have since shifted to the north and west sides of the Santa Rita mountains and is now referred to as the Copper World Project. See location below.
Watch Rob Peters, SSSR Executive Director, present on the latest Copper World developments
Current as of April 30, 2024