A federal judge in Tucson has overturned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s approval of plans for a new copper mine in southeastern Arizona.
The $1.9 billion Rosemont open-pit mine project has been in the planning stages since 2005. But it has been in legal limbo since a federal court ruling halted work July 31st-- a day before its scheduled construction start.
Lawyers for the Tucson-based Center for Biological Diversity said federal agencies have failed to protect public land and resources in mountains that are home to endangered jaguars and cougars, black bears and deer.