Arizona Sen. John McCain says a vast open pit mine project planned for the eastern slope of the Santa Rita Mountains, south of Tucson, can be superior for the economy and jobless Arizonans.
Throughout an appearance in the southern Arizona society of Green Valley Friday, McCain said “the state’s high unemployment rate presents a good argument for going forward with the Rosemont Copper mine”.
Opponents of the mine fret about water supplies and the environmental force.
McCain says environmentalists can’t “run and ruin this economy.”
He later added that “it’s important to have the proper studies to determine the mine’s effect on the environment”.
The Coronado National Forest is anticipated to open a draft environmental impact announcement on the mine by the end of June.
Augusta Resource Corp. plans to begin producing copper,molybdenum, silver and gold from the site by 2011.
