Rio Tinto Land Grab to Mine Protected Apache Sites

 On July 27 The San Carlos Apache Tribe held a celebratory dinner to welcome back members of the Apache Stronghold caravan after returning from the tribe’s journey from a reservation in Bylas, Arizona, to Washington, D.C. The discussions for the evening surrounded a proposed $6 billion mining operation that threatened their landscape.

The Apache Stronghold formed against a legislative provision included in the National Defense Authorization Act of 2015. The provision grants Resolution Copper Mining, a subsidiary of Australian-English mining giant Rio Tinto, a 2,400-acre land parcel which includes parts of the protected Tonto National Forest, to create the continent’s largest copper mine.

Apache Stronghold supporter Reddog Rudy is worried.  “We have seen what Rio Tinto did in past mines, once they start they won’t stop until the whole area is destroyed.”

The topic in question has remained out of the media spotlight for some months, but according to Rio Tinto’s website the $61.4 billion project will be moving ahead as a “world-class copper mine…[supporting] technological and environmental innovation.” Their claim is to revive the Arizona economy.

For the San Carlos Apache Tribe this legislation has been “very difficult.” The destruction of Apache land, history, culture, as well as environmental concerns is significant to the Oak Flat area under threat. Historically, the Apache Leap cliffs were a site where the Apaches jumped to their death in the 1870s to avoid capture by the American troops. But the environmental and human rights impact is noted amongst the bigger concerns of what appears to be dodgy backdoor deal. Over 100,000 signatures have been collected on a petition; yet the deal appears to be moving ahead.

U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) applauded the mining plans, saying that “while a number of Arizona tribal governments raised concerns about the closure of a Forest Service campground called ‘Oak Flat,’ the bill guarantees that Native Americans can continue to access the campground for many years until the mining company needs to mine underneath it.”

Resolution Copper, a joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP has been formed specifically for this project. But as The Guardian reported, Rio Tinto’s history for environmental impact has left other countries dumping the company for a clearer conscience, including Norway in 2008.

 “The Council on Ethics has concluded that Rio Tinto is directly involved, through its participation in the Grasberg mine in Indonesia, in the severe environmental damage caused by that mining operation.” The claims extend to the abuses of human rights and environment from investigations moving back as far as 2005. “… Investigations in 2005 revealed that the Grasberg mine had paid Indonesian military and police officers nearly $20 million over the previous seven years…to a paramilitary force known for human rights abuses.”

Nevertheless, the Apache Stronghold are praying for a solution. “Our prayer goes beyond Oak Flat to the universe, so we can find balance,” Rudy said. “We want everyone to have clean water. The four-leggeds, the birds, the swimmers, the whales and the dolphins. We want all them to live. That’s what we pray for.”

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