Anyone know where in Arizona?
Near Superior, AZ, about 60 miles east of AZ.
Superior AZ. Queen Creek Canyon
Total mess up of a simple land exchange. Rio Tinto has lands that should be protected, a joining national parks and great national forests and the area around Superior has already been mined in the past. Anyone who has actually been to Queen Creek Canyon would not fight this land trade with a permit.
Oak flat near Superior AZ.
Apparently one of the largest coper deposit in the world.
When they found the lode there, it was major find, advertised as the biggest find in US history. Just motherlode of coper. That was long time ago, looks like it will stay there forever, at least until there is major political shift.
It was approved by the congress a long time ago (under Obama) but the environmentalists demanded all kind of studies. There were also some Indian tribal claims there.
It seems that anytime there is a development, some tribe suddenly discovers that that used to be their sacred ground.
E.g. I-202 extension suddenly became sacred ground when they decided to put freeway there. They did extensive historical evaluation and all they found was few old bullets, likely from white hunters about hundred years ago.