EPA Draft Permit Issued For A Southern Arizona Mining Project
A copper mining project in southern Arizona is one step closer to getting government approval.
The Environmental Protection Agency issued a draft permit to Florence Copper Inc. The company applied for the underground injection permit in 2011.
Since then, opponents have voiced concerns about the liquid mixture that is used to retrieve the mineral from the bedrock. Sulfuric acid is part of the mixture, and some worry the acid could get into drinking water.
Rita Maguire, Florence Copper vice president, said the draft permit means the EPA deems the project to be safe.
“That would give the public mind at ease, if you will, about the ability of this project to operate without threat to local drinking water supplies,” she said.
Maguire said the draft permit should help assure people that solution mining is safe.
“The natural ground surrounding that well field is highly alkaline, so the acid that is put into the ground is basically neutralized by the naturally occurring alkaline conditions in the bedrock layer,” she said.
Florence Copper, a subsidiary of Canadian-based Taseko Mines Limited, also needs a permit from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality before it can start a yearlong test of the copper-removing technology. That permit is being challenged.
The EPA draft permit will be open for public comment until the end of January.