The Center for Biological Diversity and Patagonia Area Resource Alliance (PARA) sued the Trump administration Tuesday over its Sept. 2 approval of the expansion of South32’s Hermosa mine onto federal public lands in the Patagonia Mountains.
“Federal agencies that are supposed to protect public lands and endangered animals are planning to sacrifice one of the most important wildlife corridors in the Southwest,” said Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, in a press release jointly issues by the two organizations. “Once these mountains are carved up and their aquifers depleted, there’s no putting them back together. The Patagonia Mountains are worth far more as a thriving ecosystem than they’ll ever be worth to a giant mining company.”
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, challenges approvals by the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that would expand industrial mining activities across more than 52,000 acres of public land in the Coronado National Forest for 83 years. The suit says the agencies violated the Endangered Species Act by failing to properly evaluate and protect listed species and their designated critical habitat.
Anna Darian, executive director for PARA, said the expedited FAST-41 permitting process for the mine resulted in a rushed review of potential environmental threats on groundwater and other public resources.
“Communities across the country should understand: this is just the beginning,” said Anna Darian of Patagonia Area Resource Alliance. “Hermosa may be the first hardrock mining project approved under FAST-41, but it is being held up as a model for what comes next. The long-term effects of weakening or waiving environmental protections could have irreversible consequences for frontline communities like ours.”