KGUN 9 On Your Side, Tucson News, Weather & SportsSenate panel OKs compromise on Arizona land swap
Member Center:
Associated Press - December 16, 2009 5:54 PM ET
WASHINGTON (AP) - A Senate panel has approved a compromise bill that gives the secretary of agriculture authority to approve a land exchange near Superior that could clear the way for North America's largest copper mine.
The compromise would require an environmental study before Resolution Copper Co. could proceed, an element that conservation groups said was lacking in earlier versions of the bill.
The bill approved by the Energy and Natural Resources committee would give the subsidiary of global mining giant Rio Tinto three years to develop a mining plan.
The Department of Agriculture would then have three more years to conduct an environmental study before reaching a decision on whether to permit the land swap. The agriculture secretary would still have the discretion to accept or reject the swap.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
