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Land swap would boost huge Ariz. copper mine
Sacramento Bee ^ | Matthew Daly

Posted on 10/26/2011 1:12:34 AM PDT by blueplum

WASHINGTON -- House Republicans and the Obama administration are at odds over a GOP bill aimed at boosting a proposed Arizona copper mine that would be the largest in North America.

GOP lawmakers and business groups, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Mining Association, say the project would pump billions of dollars into the Arizona economy and help create nearly 4,000 mining-related jobs.
[snip]
Under the plan, first proposed in 2005, about 5,300 acres of environmentally sensitive land throughout Arizona would be transferred to federal control, including 3,000 acres on the lower San Pedro River in southeastern Arizona and 940 acres to be added to the Appleton-Whittell Research Ranch southeast of Tucson. The land is controlled by Resolution Copper Co., a subsidiary of the giant global mining company Rio Tinto.

The Obama administration opposes the land swap, saying an environmental review should be completed before the exchange is made.
[snip]
The $6 billion mining project near Superior, Ariz., is believed to be the third-largest undeveloped copper resource in the world and the largest in North America. The company says the project would create at least 1,400 jobs on site and more than 3,700 related jobs.


Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/10/26/4007306/land-swap-would-boost-huge-arizona.html#ixzz1bs9zRglY

(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; News/Current Events; US: Arizona
KEYWORDS: arizonajobs; coppermining; riotinto
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To: John O

“To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square) as may, by Cession of particular States, and the acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be, for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;”

Yes your correct on military bases and such with the blessings of each state. But the limitation is TEN MILES SQUARE.
Really would be nice if some would read the constitution and see for themselves. Its all there under article 1 Sec 8.


21 posted on 10/26/2011 3:42:19 PM PDT by crz
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To: blueplum

It’s between the devil and the deep blue sea. Maybe such auctions could focus upon American buyers, but that would be a limited supply of dollars. Why can’t America be as prickly about things that Chinese buy here, as China is about things that Americans buy there? China makes sure that Americans can’t purchase the rug out from under its control in China.


22 posted on 10/26/2011 6:20:43 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (There's gonna be a Redneck Revolution! (See my freep page) [rednecks come in many colors])
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To: crz

Has this actually been happening without states’ permission? Maybe, e.g., Arizona didn’t care back then and allowed it in order to get some dough, and now they care while the dough is gone but it’s too late.


23 posted on 10/26/2011 6:22:52 PM PDT by HiTech RedNeck (There's gonna be a Redneck Revolution! (See my freep page) [rednecks come in many colors])
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To: crz

You are dick weed, the government bought the whole freaking state of Alaska and the Louisiana purchase, Dickweek. You are off your meds. What in the hell does exercise exclusive legislation over have to do with restriction ownership of all federal lands. This was to establish washington DC.


24 posted on 10/26/2011 7:25:12 PM PDT by org.whodat (Just another heartless American, hated by Perry and his fellow demorats.)
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To: crz

Read it again. The federal district is limited to ten miles square. Military bases purchased with the consent of the states have no size limit


25 posted on 10/26/2011 8:08:56 PM PDT by John O (God Save America (Please))
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To: John O

Did each states authorize those lands? You read it again.


26 posted on 10/27/2011 2:19:12 AM PDT by crz
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To: org.whodat

Oh another post by a friggan big time ignorant manure for brains that doesnt know anything. And cant read to boot!

Go smoke some more dope. Now go get rid of that yellow streak that is down your back.


27 posted on 10/27/2011 2:23:09 AM PDT by crz
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To: HiTech RedNeck

When did AZ become a state?


28 posted on 10/27/2011 2:23:51 AM PDT by crz
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To: Sea Parrot

You said:

“feds own over 80% of Arizona”

I said:

“No, closer to 41%”

Now you say:

“Wrongo...15% of Arizona is privately owned. The rest is made up of government and state-owned land...Native American Reservations”

You first only spoke of the feds, and I gave you a link that broke it down including state and tribal lands.

You also said:

“Like Alaska, if we had more land control of our own state”

The majority of Alaska’s oil production comes from their state owned land. Arizona directly controls over 9 million acres; why don’t they do something productive with that land like Alaska does?


29 posted on 10/27/2011 4:59:23 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: thackney

Reservations or not, federal lands are federal lands.

“Statement of Dennis K. Burke
United States Attorney, District of Arizona
Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
April 20, 2010”

“The District of Arizona encompasses the entire State of
Arizona, which has a population of approximately 6.5 million people and approximately 114,000
square miles of land. Approximately 70% of the land in Arizona is federal land, and
approximately 40% of the federal land is held by the 21 federally recognized Indian tribes in
Arizona”

/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=square%20miles%20of%20federal%20land%20the%20state%20of%20arizona&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhsgac.senate.gov%2Fpublic%2Findex.cfm%3FFuseAction%3DFiles.View%26FileStore_id%3D3117751b-e420-447f-98b7-0297e2cc01a3&ei=LfmpTqnpIbPciAL4-Iz4Cg&usg=AFQjCNFTPAc2SS7uebe9rORnANlXCupdGQ

We do what we can with our resources on very limited state and private lands, but the feds are slowly but surely choking down the mining industry

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&sugexp=kjrmc&cp=23&gs_id=b6&xhr=t&q=Arizona+mining+industry&pq=bedlington+terrier+will+fight+to+the+death&pf=p&sclient=psy-ab&source=hp&pbx=1&oq=Arizona+mining+industry&aq=0&aqi=g1g-v2&aql=f&gs_sm=&gs_upl=&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.,cf.osb&fp=1c82949ca002f577&biw=960&bih=459


30 posted on 10/27/2011 5:56:24 PM PDT by Sea Parrot (Democrats creation of the entitlement class will prove out to be their very own Frankenstein monster)
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To: thackney
Several years ago, I recall reading an extensive article in the Arizona Republic about a Rio Tinto project in the Superior area that sounded like a technological marvel.

Rio Tinto (thru Resolution Corp) had purchased the assets of Magma Copper, whose primary holding was a mine outside of Superior. After several years of core-drilling, they established the presence of an immense lode of high-grade copper ore (largest in the world, as I recall) still present on the property.

One catch: the ore was something like 15,000 feet underground.

At the time, the eventual plan was to excavate a shaft, with galleries, blow up the roof to collapse the ore. And, because of the excessive heat at those depths, mine it with robots. The heat was also considered a benefit, since the ore would be partially refined by the conditions before it was brought to the surface.

Is this, I wonder, the fruition of this ambitious plan?

31 posted on 10/27/2011 6:27:27 PM PDT by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance On Parade)
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To: Sea Parrot
Your first link is incomplete and the second is only a google list of articles. I don't know what your are trying to convey.

That is the first claim I have ever seen of tribal land actually being federal land.

In Alaska, the native land is being produced for oil in several locations while different permitting requirements hold up the process on the federal land.

In Alaska, the natives form corporations and not only lease out mineral rights but go to work operating facilities and building components of those facilities.

For example:
http://www.asrc.com/companies/Pages/Companies.aspx

In Utah, the Ute tribe is producing oil and in the early stages of building a new refinery. Refinery is a stretch in the description as the primary product is wax, due to the content of the oil.

For example:
http://uteenergy.com/operations.aspx

http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/calumet-and-ute-indian-tribe-team-up-on-refinery-feasibility-project-in-north-east-utah-57897362.html

32 posted on 10/28/2011 7:21:05 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: okie01

Rio Tinto Copper Fact Sheet
http://www.riotinto.com/documents/ReportsPublications/corpPub_Copper.pdf
Page 8

~6,500 ft deep, no robots required.

Resolution Copper

The Resolution Copper project is situated in Superior,
Arizona, US, in the area of the depleted Magma Copper
mine. Rio Tinto has a 55 per cent share in the project,
in partnership with BHP Billiton. The pre-feasibility
study is currently underway.

Exploration from 2001 to 2003 suggests that a large,
world class copper resource exists more than 2,000 metres
below surface. Pre feasibility studies are expected to be
completed by 2013 with production at the new mine
expected to start by 2020, eventually ramping up to
500,000 tonnes per annum of copper.

- - - - - - - -

In March 2010 the company reported an increased Inferred Resource of 1.624 billion tonnes at a grade of 1.47% Cu and 0.037% Mo.

http://www.resolutioncopper.com/res/whoweare/1.html#footnote

Which results in ~24 million metric tonnes or ~26 million US short tons.

The Chuquicamata mine in Chile is certainly larger, as are a few others. It is no doubt a world class mine and greatly valuable to us if it actually goes into production.


33 posted on 10/28/2011 8:31:53 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: okie01

For comparison, the link below discusses some of the challenges in the Western Deep Levels gold mine, 12,200 feet below the surface.

http://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/01/science/in-world-s-deepest-mine-researchers-hear-the-rocks-talk.html?pagewanted=all


34 posted on 10/28/2011 8:39:52 AM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: thackney

Yeah, and the feds (EPA) recently shut down the coal fired generating plant on the Navaho reservation, so much for control on Indian (federal) lands.

You said only 41% of AZ was federal land, I said 85%, off by 15% is closer to 70% than your being 29% off. We were both wrong, But, I was closer to the truth than you, nuff said.


35 posted on 10/28/2011 3:40:33 PM PDT by Sea Parrot (Democrats creation of the entitlement class will prove out to be their very own Frankenstein monster)
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To: Sea Parrot

I don’t agree that tribe lands are federal lands, but enough beating this dead horse.


36 posted on 10/28/2011 3:49:42 PM PDT by thackney (life is fragile, handle with prayer)
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To: thackney
Thanks for the links. Interesting stuff.

The mining engineer who was quoted in the Arizona Republic must've been talking thru his ambition.

Even without robots, that's still going to be quite an operation.

37 posted on 10/29/2011 12:43:15 PM PDT by okie01 (THE MAINSTREAM MEDIA: Ignorance On Parade)
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