SSSR is spearheading a lobbying campaign to persuade Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to cancel the state Land Department’s April 29 auction of 160 acres of State Trust Land requested by Toronto-based Hudbay Minerals to be used as a toxic waste dump for its proposed Copper World mine.
State Land Commissioner Robyn Sahid has rejected repeated requests from Pima County not to auction the land where the only likely buyer will be Hudbay Minerals. Pima County has pass four resolutions opposing the Copper World mine, and its predecessor Rosemont, over the last 20 years with the most recent last October.
The state’s discretionary decision to auction the land sends a clear signal that Hobbs, a Democrat running in a tough reelection campaign, is supporting the short-term economic interest of foreign mining companies rather than protecting Southern Arizona’s long-term economic health and environment.
“It’s extremely disappointing that Hobbs, who claims to be concerned about protecting Arizona’s water, is backing Hudbay’s plan to plunder 170 billion gallons of groundwater and and destroy the Santa Rita Mountain watershed that provides potable water to Tucson,” said SSSR Executive Director John Dougherty.
“We strongly encourage southern Arizona voters, who were crucial in Hobbs’ 2022 election, to directly contact her office and request she withdraw the auction and take all steps in her power to stop the Copper World mine.”
