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Federal judge throws out approval to start construction on the Rosemont Mine

Posted at 9:10 PM, Jul 31, 2019
and last updated 2019-08-01 01:36:00-04

TUCSON, Ariz. - A major development in the Rosemont Mine legal battle. A federal judge threw out the forest service approvals to start construction in the Santa Rita Mountains.

That ruling means the nearly two billion dollar open-pit mining operation cannot move forward. Hudbay Minerals had planned to get to work immediately.

Environmental groups and three Native American tribes filed for a preliminary injunction. Judge James Soto concluded the forest service improperly evaluated Rosemont's right to surface mining and that led to a flawed analysis from the beginning.

The Center for Biological Diversity says this is a critical victory.

KGUN9 has reached out to Hudbay Minerals. They have not yet released a statement.