H.R. 3301 would authorize and direct the exchange and conveyance of certain National Forest land and other land in southeast Arizona.
Detailed Summary
Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Agriculture (the Secretary) to convey to Resolution Copper Mining, LLC, all and interest of the United States in and to specified federal land in Pinal county, Arizona, in exchange for Resolution Copper conveying to the United States title to: (1) the Secretary to specified non-federal land in Gila, Yavapai, Maricopa, Pinal, and Coconino counties, Arizona, and (2) the Secretary of the Interior to specified non-federal land in Pinal and Gila counties, Arizona.
Directs the Secretary to convey specified land in Pinal county to the town of Superior, Arizona.
Instructs Resolution Copper to deliver to the Secretary an executed document reviewed by, and acceptable to, the Secretary which grants a permanent conservation easement to the easement area (the surface estate of the Apache Leap Natural and Cultural Resource Conservation Easement Area) to one or more of the following grantees: (1) a qualified unit of government or Indian tribe; or (2) a land trust or other qualified organization. Requires Resolution Copper and the grantee or grantees to determine whether the area covered by the easement should be managed to establish additional cultural and historic resource protections or measures.
Directs: (1) the Secretary to construct in the Global Ranger District of the Tonto National Forest one or more replacement campgrounds for the Oak Flat Campground; and (2) the Secretary of the Interior to immediately convey to the Arizona State Parks Board approximately 2,000 acres of land under such Secretary's jurisdiction within the exterior boundary of the proposed Tam O'Shanter Area State Park for the establishment of such Park.
Requires the Secretary of the Interior, immediately upon request by the Board, to grant the Board a right-of-way for a State Park access road across any federal lands on the Tam O' Shanter Access Road in order to provide public access to the proposed State Park.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 11/1/2007: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
Superior, AZ Resident
H.R. 3301 is a dishonest attempt by a foreign mining conglomerate to avoid the daylight and due diligence of proper and appropriate environmental and hydrological impact studies. Rio Tinto knows that such a project would never get fast-tracked were it required to have the proper and appropriate studies completed. Passage of the land exchange cedes ownership of the land in question to Rio Tinto, who would then be under no obligation to conduct the necessary studies. The massive profits bandied about by Rio Tinto execs would go straight to London, and be of little to no value to Arizona's or the US' macro-economy. Passage of the land exchange is BAD for our environment, BAD for our economy, and BAD for our democracy. OPPOSE this land exchange. OPPOSE HR 3301!
Superior, AZ Resident
H.R. 3301 is good for our national, state and local economy. It will bring high paying skilled mining jobs to the State of Arizona, while other U.S. multinational corporations are exporting jobs to third world countries, needless to say its direct and indirect economic impact to a rural mining community where mining has been its legacy for well over 100 years. To date Rio Tinto has demonstrated to the State of Arizona, and rural mining communities surrounding the current active mine site, its commitment in addressing and mitigating potential environmental concerns.
Real Superior, AZ Resident, Not the Imposter
RCM has done a poor job with their environmental commitment! Take the Shaft 9 dewatering program. First, RCM was going to dump the waste water into Queen Creek until ADEQ busted them (oops!). So RCM began building a pipeline to send the water to the Magma Irrigation District, until they were busted by Forest Service, whose land the pipeline crosses (oops!). Then, EPA questioned irrigating alfalfa fields, with toxic heavy metals (oops!). So RCM came up with a new plan: for irrigation, RCM would "blend CAP water 10 to 1 with mine wastewater. But the Feds hadn't been notified, said, "HUH?!" Correct me if I am wrong: if same piece of land is irrigated with blended water, over time the same amount of heavy metals spread on the same plot of land, then in the end, the same amount of heavy metals is concentrated on this land as if you didn't blend with CAP water at all. RCM counts on people not thinking too deeply about RCM methods. Shame.
Real Superior Resident, Not the Imposter
As for providing jobs, you miss the point here as well. The jobs will be "highly skilled." RCM states this over and over again. I live in Superior, we have many hard working people. But Superior does NOT have a highly skilled workforce. So where are these highly skilled workers going to come from? Elsewhere. Where are these highly skilled workers going to live? Elsewhere. Where are these highly skilled workers going to shop, buy their cars, send their kids to school, eat out at night, etc.? Elsewhere, that's where. Mining is our history here in Superior. But good god, just be honest. We're not the most sophisticated bunch. The lies, half truths, and misinformation RCM puts out there to garner support is really an insult to the good people of my town. It's like somebody taking advantage of your grandmother. Shameful.
New Superior Resident
I have to agree with the Opposition to this Land Exchange Bill. There are too many vital and important environmental rules that need to be followed that won't be if the bill is passed. If everyone of us US Residents have to obey our stringent envioronmental laws before we can do business in this country, then the foreign businesses doing business here, need to abide by then too.
kevin rusell
Why is it? we always get people helping us. When the reality shows it's face iit's nothing to do with USA, again another foreign rapist is at the bottom. Who's idea is this,ask magma why they stopped, and why would another party arrive with just the right way to aquire the load. Figure it out, we can't fight our epa, or the landacts,but if we give them some other land and allow them to shave some acts off then they can accomploish the removal of all that copper,the problemis where is the by -product going to go, what kind of crap is this again. Americans /Arizoans write e-mail your congressman create a noise and push the particular individuals in the light ,
send these foreigners home where they belong and if we want to open the mine and pay our people we'll allow our own in , the rest be dammed, you really need to look into these peoples track record for keeping things on the up and up. I believe it speaks volumes.....