TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - Three Arizona Native American tribes are opposing a planned open-pit copper mine.
The Tohono O'odham Nation, Pascua Yaqui Tribe and Hopi Tribe filed a joint complaint in U.S. District Court in Arizona on Wednesday challenging the issue of a permit to Rosemont Copper Company.
The company wants to excavate an open-pit mine in the Santa Rita Mountains near Tucson.
In a statement, the tribes said the project would impact a creek and tributaries that have supported them for generations.
They also argue that the operation would destroy streams that are federally protected.
The challenge comes two weeks after environmental groups filed a similar lawsuit.
The permit was issued by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers last month. An Army Corps spokesman did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
