I don't think it will be as smooth sailing for the mine as they hope. Though the Forest Service has basically stated they have no choice but to approve the mine, both Representative Giffords and Grijalva have sent letters to the Secretary of the Interior stating that they believe such a stance by the Forest Service is wrong. I think we can expect whatever the Forest Service does about the EIS there will be litigation, and the water issues raised by the mine are becoming increasingly contentious as time goes on.

Seems to me that decisions such as this have nothing to do with the actual environmental impact. Making a couple mountains disappear, blanketing wilderness with acid covered dregs, and sucking up all of our precious groundwater apparently isn't a sufficient environmental impact to stop the project in its tracks.

It will take an act of Congress to change their decision- Forest Service- then if you care to check it they do not have the power to stop it- the mine.
The only mining that has been stopped recently was by making the area a Wilderness Preserve, not likly for the Santa Rita`s north end. The area is riddled with mine shafts.
I still think the answer is water- if they don`t have it they can not mine. t Looks like that desicion was already made- the governor gave them permission to drill wells and pump ground water. No protest was ever made- not at the congressional level-it`s a done deal. Their just filling in the blanks on paper there is no plan to stop the Mine. At least not a good one !

Eric

Another step forward for Augusta.
http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/fromcomments/305349.php