SAN CARLOS APACHE RESERVATION – A new poll sends a clear message to Arizona elected leaders that likely voters are strongly opposed to the Resolution Mine, with nearly half saying they would view a political leader less favorably for supporting the mine.
“We strongly encourage our state and federal elected leaders to stop quietly supporting this devastating project and take decisive action to stop the Resolution mine,” said San Carlos Apache Tribe Chairman Terry Rambler. “This poll clearly shows the public is opposed to this project that would enrich the two largest foreign-based mining companies in the world while exporting the copper overseas for refining, most likely to China.”
The poll found that 46% of likely voters would have a less favorable view of elected officials who support the mine, with 30% saying they would have a “much less favorable” view and 16% responding “somewhat less favorable.” Only 11% of the respondents said they would have a more favorable view of the elected leaders who support the mine, with 4% “much more favorable” and 7% “somewhat more favorable.”
“Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs has the authority to block Resolution from using thousands of acres of State Trust Land for a toxic tailings waste dump that will pollute the air and groundwater and threatens downstream communities from a catastrophic tailings dam failure,” ChairmanRambler added. “She should direct the State Land Department not to sell or lease the land to Resolution.”
The poll found that likely voters oppose the mine by a 67% to 26% margin, with 45% saying they “strongly oppose” and 22% “somewhat oppose”. Only 11% said they “strongly support” the project, with 16% responding they “somewhat support” the mine.
The Center for Biological Diversity, a Tucson-based environmental group, released a poll conducted by FM3 Research. The poll was conducted between Jan. 23-30 with 601 likely voters via cell phones, landlines, and online, and has a margin of error of +/- 4%.
The Tribe has opposed the project for more than two decades because it would destroy a sacred area known as Oak Flat in the Tonto National Forest east of Superior.
The Resolution Copper mine would collapse Oak Flat into a crater 1.8 miles wide and 1,000 feet deep, destroying the sacred site. The 1.4 billion tons of toxic tailings the mine would produce would be dumped on thousands of acres of nearby State Trust Land, turning a vibrant landscape into an industrial waste facility and threatening to contaminate both ground and surface water.
More than 16,000 acres of wildlands would be destroyed, including habitat for hundreds of migratory birds and a diverse array of other species, some of them endangered. Hundreds of billions of gallons of water, enough to serve a city of 140,000 for 40 years, would be permanently removed from regional aquifers in the East Salt River Valley that towns and farmers rely on.
Destroying Oak Flat would permanently prevent Western Apache Tribes and other Native peoples from accessing a place central to their religion, culture, and identity, violating the federal government’s trust responsibilities to Tribes.
Chairman Rambler encouraged members of Congress to support The Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Act, introduced by Rep. Adelita Grijalva (D-AZ). The bill would overturn a pending federal land swap that would give Oak Flat to Resolution Copper Company and permanently protect Oak Flat.
