I'd been hearing about the Florence Copper Project (FCP), and reading about it in the Florence Reminder. I have friends who support the project (they think the jobs would be great!), and friends opposed to it (they are concerned about contamination of the aquifer).
After looking into the issues a bit, I was really excited about the job potential -- Florence really needs jobs!! But the idea of injecting acid into our water supply didn't really sit well with me. It seemed really risky.
So, I went to the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in Florence tonight, to hear from both sides and see if either could convince me.
My son and I arrived just as the meeting was being called to order. Quite a few people were outside, hanging around in the parking lot and on the steps of Town Hall. Many wore badges showing the word "MINE" with a red slash through it; and many had badges promoting the copper project and the jobs it would bring.
I ran into two friends -- one who supported the project but also wanted to ensure the safety of the water, and another who was firmly against it. I had my opinions but decided to listen to both sides, and asked lots of questions, especially to see if my friend who supported the project could convince me.
As the evening progressed, the P&Z staff seemed to have a negative attitude toward the Copper Project. They appeared to believe quite strongly that adding a "land use overlay" would be inconsistent with the Florence General Plan, and they were also opposed to making Major Plan Amendments in support of the Project. And judging by the public hearing, the citizens of Florence sided with P&Z staff about 2 to 1. The speakers were articulate and made strong arguments -- on both sides of the issue.
The CEO of Curis Copper -- Michael McPhie, I believe, though I may have got his name wrong -- also made a very tight argument in support of the project. He discussed the safety issues at length and seemed to provide lots of evidence in support of the safety of the injection mining process they intend to use at FCP -- especially relying on the report of Montgomery & Associates (www.elmontgomery.net) of Tucson. (Can anybody point me to the actual report???)
The Curis Copper lawyer followed up the CEO's performance with even more details and strong arguments -- all very rational, very clear, very convincing. Finally they brought out former state senator Rebecca Rios (now a Curis Copper employee) to plead the case for rural jobs. Then the CEO came back to the microphone and said they were going to mine the part of their project on state land no matter what the Town decides, so they might as well be open to capital investment and not turn it away.
It was all very convincing. Too convincing, in fact — too airtight. Nothing is ever quite so straightforward. I had to leave the event early before hearing the final vote of the P&Z Commission, but as soon as I had a chance, I started trying to check some of the claims I had heard presented at the Town Hall.
The first thing that I wanted to check was the Montgomery report. Mark Cowling, the editor of the Florence Reminder, had recently published an article that discussed this report extensively, but I couldn't remember the details. So I went and read it again -- and it appears far more ambiguous than the Curis CEO had been presenting it. Yes, the report says the Florence Copper Project "could be implemented in a manner that is consistent with the goals of the town of Florence General Plan" -- a rather weak statement repeated at least twice by the Curis CEO.
But the report also notes, “the leach solution [from the in-situ mining process] would be reconditioned and recycled numerous times, which could result in concentration of dissolved constituents” including “sulfate, total dissolved solids, metals and radiochemicals.”
Radiochemicals? As in, radioactivity?
Yes. An EPA report done in 1999 on in-situ mining found that the process tends to leach radioactive elements into the local water supply, specifically thorium and uranium.
Well, maybe the Florence project is different? Actually, no -- the EPA report was based on studies done at the Curis Copper site itself, when it was under different ownership! (See page 50 of the report, entitled Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials in the Southwestern Copper Belt of Arizona.
They certainly didn't mention that in their presentation.
I wondered what else were they leaving out.
Well, my mind turned next to their claim that the project would go ahead regardless of the Town's decision, because half the project was located on State Trust land, and they already got zoning approval from the State. This almost seemed like a veiled threat -- "Look, guys, we're going ahead anyway, and it's YOUR loss if you don't participate. You'll look like the idiots who turned away hundreds of jobs and millions of investment dollars."
And it looked like a credible threat. That is, until I ran across this line on the Curis Resources home page:
In 2010, Curis acquired a 100% interest in the Florence Copper Project - an advanced-stage ISCR project in central Arizona. Located midway between Phoenix and Tucson near the community of Florence AZ, the company's land holdings total 1,342-acres including 1,182 acres of patented claims and 160 acres of state mineral leases.
Wait -- Maybe I am not reading this correctly, but does that say that only 160 acres is on state land? And the rest, the other 91% of the project, is NOT on the state land?
This brings into question the whole idea that they will be mining whether the Town likes it or not. If only 10% of the project is on state land, I doubt they'd be able to go forward with the whole project. That is NOT the story they were telling at the public meeting tonight.
Admittedly, I have arrived late to this party, and maybe all these issues have already been discussed and adequately addressed (though I haven't found where). And maybe there are pieces that I am misunderstanding or misinterpreting.
But the more I dig into it, trying to get clarity so I can make up my mind what side to take, the more questions I have, and the less I trust the information I am getting from Curis Copper.
Please correct me where I am wrong and point me in the right direction!
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