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Rosemont Mine

In a response to a constituent's inquiries about the Rosemont Mine, this was what was stated in a letter written by Ray Carroll:

Re:The Real Facts About the Rosemont Mine

Dear [Constituent]:

I enjoyed talking with you last Wednesday. As I said when we visited, Rosemont is putting out a lot of misinformation. This started back in 2007 when it announced the project.

At the very first informational meeting held by the U.S. Forest Service in 2007, Rosemont bussed in unemployed workers from the south side to support the project by telling them it was a meeting where they could sign up for a job. This was totally untrue.

From that time until today, Rosemont has continued to spend millions of dollars in donations to local causes to buy our support, and in television, radio and newspaper advertising that distorts facts, tells half-truths and downright untruths to the people of Pima County about this proposed mine.

I support economic development and good job creation. I am not opposed to mining or mine jobs. I am opposed to foreign companies like Rosemont coming into Pima County and trying to deceive our citizens by making misleading and false statements in order to get a mining permit.

Real facts about the Rosemont Mine:

  1. Rosemont claims it will create 405 "good paying" jobs at its new mine. This is factual, although its average annual wage of just under $50,000 is $5,000 less than the average mining wage in Pima County, and $17,000 less than the average mining wage in all of Arizona.
  2. More importantly, Rosemont does not talk about the jobs that will be lost if the mine is developed. According to a study completed in August 2010 by Dr. Thomas M. Power, a Research Professor at the University of Montana (one of the most prestigious mining schools in the nation), the tourism and travel industry in Pima County employs 22,770 people (2008). If only 2% of these people lost their jobs because of the mine’s impact on the Coronado National Forest, that would be 455 jobs lost. If only 4% lost their jobs (a more likely figure in my opinion) that would be more than 900 jobs lost. I don’t think its right to take jobs away from Pima County families just to make money for a foreign mining company.
  3. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that 2,442,700 visitors came to the Coronado Forest in 2008 (updated to April 2010) and they spent $100,949,000 in Pima County. More than 68% of these visitors stated their primary reason for visiting was to hike, view the natural scenery and see the wildlife, especially birds. The Santa Cruz Mountains are a key spot for these recreational activities. Losing even 10% of this visitor income is $10,000,000 a year. Since the Forest Service estimates that every visitor dollar spent generates a dollar and a half in other spending, that means a total loss of $25,000,000 annually. Rosemont predicts an annual total payroll in both salaries and wages – not only mining jobs – of $20,200,000. In other words, the mine will cost Pima County, at a minimum, almost $5,000,000 every year.
  4. Even more important than lost jobs and lost income is the affect the mine will have on the Santa Cruz Aquifer – the water that you and I drink. Rosemont wants to drain 5,000 acre feet of water each year to run its mine. The Aquifer is already falling two to four feet each year. According to the Arizona Department of Water Resources, the water withdrawal from the Santa Cruz River aquifer has increased by 50% between 1985 and 1995; by 28% between 1995 and 2005, and is projected to increase by 20% by 2015. This totals a huge 141% increase for the 30-year period. Rosemont’s promise to bring CAP water down to Green Valley is a pipe dream. Even if a pipeline is built, the availability of CAP water is uncertain. With the levels of the Colorado River at record lows, we should not gamble on taking drinking water from Pima County families to feed the Rosemont Mine.
  5. Rosemont has consistently said that its mining operations would be on the east side of the Santa Rita Mountains and could not be seen from Green Valley and Sahuarita. That is not what it is saying to its potential investors. Currently on its parent company’s website (Augusta Resource Corp.), Augusta’s CEO, Gil Claussen, says that, "three other properties (Peach-Elgin, Broad Top Butte and Copper World) offered opportunities for further exploration." Two of these properties are clearly on the west side of the Santa Rita Mountains and would be clearly seen from Green Valley and Sahuarita. Once again, Rosemont is not telling the truth to the people of Pima County.

I hope these five points give you a new perspective on Rosemont and what it is trying to do to all of us who live in Pima County.

Please feel free to call me any time.

Sincerely,

Ray Carroll

[Ray Carroll's letter "The Real Facts About the Rosemont Mine" in pdf format]

October 13, 2010 Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tom J. Vilsack's response to Ray Carroll's August 19, 2010 letter

August 19, 2010 Ray Carroll's letter to Secretary of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Tom J. Vilsack, regarding Rosemont Mine and the "No-Action" Alternative

May 26, 2010 Ray Carroll's most recent opinion in opposition of the Rosemont Copper mine in a May 26, 2010 editorial in the Arizona Daily Star: Get the facts on Rosemont Copper mine; don't be manipulated by advertising spin.

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