The Hermosa mining project in the Patagonia Mountains was the focus of the Dec. 19 meeting of the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors.
The meeting started with more than one hour of public comments from community members, most of whom are opposed to the mining project. Following the Call to the Public, Pat Risner, president of the Hermosa project, updated the board on the $2 billion project’s progress.
He touched on the newly created Workforce Development Task Force, which includes local school administrators, including Kenny Hayes, Patagonia School District Superintendent. Risner emphasized that job training is a priority, as the company anticipates hiring 850 employees, with a goal of hiring 80% of the workforce from within Santa Cruz County.
The company has stated that the average wage for its employees will be $120,000, including benefits. When asked if that average included management salaries, he said it did not. He anticipates employee training to begin in early 2025, and that the mine will go into production in 2027.
All of this is contingent on the Board of South32 making its final investment decisions, which Risner expects by the end of the first quarter of 2024.
“We have essentially one mine, but two projects,” Risner said, referring to the zinc and the manganese mining. The zinc project is further along than the manganese, with a final investment decision expected in the first quarter of 2024. They have started drilling the shafts for extracting zinc.
“We will need to select a site [for the remote operating center for the mine] by March,” Risner said. The company is still committed to building the facility in Santa Cruz County along the I-19 corridor in either Nogales of Rio Rico.
Federal permitting for the mine is moving forward. Risner anticipates that the Forest Service will begin the scoping process in May 2024, at which time the mine’s plan of operation will be made public and the public will have the opportunity to comment on the plan.
The “legally binding Community Protection and Benefits Agreement” was discussed. This document, also referred to as the Good Neighbor agreement, would include environmental monitoring, social investment, education, community programs and economic development, Risner said. Signatories to the agreement would be South32, Santa Cruz County, the Town of Patagonia, and likely the City of Nogales. Risner hopes to be able to execute this agreement by the end of 2024.
After Risner’s presentation, he responded to questions raised by the audience and the Supervisors. Concerns raised included the potential dangers of manganese in the environment. Vanessa Register, of Lake Patagonia, asked him, “If our wells go bad, are you going to truck water in? If we get sick, how are you going to support the health care provider community so they can address these things? Who’s going to pay for that?”
“Any and all of what you suggested are opportunities to include in the [Community Protection and Benefits] agreement,” Risner responded.
Carolyn Shafer, of Patagonia, asked Risner, “How many Hermosa Management people have moved their residences to the Town of Patagonia or the county, including you, sir, and your twin sons?” Risner answered, saying, “I don’t have that number off the top of my head.” BOS Chairman Manny Ruiz later echoed Shafer, asking, “If the mine project is so safe, why don’t you or any of your administrative staff live in the community? That’s a fair question.”
Risner did not directly answer Ruiz’s question. He responded that “the project has been in study phase,” with most of the work being done in Tucson. “If our board makes the decision to proceed with the full investment in February…and we go into construction, all that changes and a significant number of roles, including senior leadership roles, shift from Tucson to Santa Cruz County.”
Risner stated that the leadership of South32 was aware of the community sentiment. “Management is not under the illusion that every person in the county is supportive of what we’re doing,” he said. “When we engage with stakeholders, we hear all sides of this,” he said. Referring to those people who support the project, he said, “They can’t necessarily come to meetings like this at 9:30 on a weekday.”
District 2 Supervisor Rudy Molera asked Risner if the mine were to be sold, would the Good Neighbor agreement also be transferred. Risner partially answered this by saying, “We have the ability to make sure that happens.”
Risner addressed the environmental concerns surrounding manganese mining and transportation, saying, “The manganese will never be exposed to the environment.” The plan calls for the ore to be encapsulated underground and transported in sealed containers to the future manganese processing plant. “There are misconceptions,” he said, commenting on concerns expressed about the dangers of manganese in the environment. “We have an opportunity to do it in a different way.”