Reuters: Arizona's battle over crucial copper mine poised to sway US election [View all]

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https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/arizonas-battle-over-crucial-copper-mine-poised-sway-us-election-2024-09-12/

Arizona's battle over crucial copper mine poised to sway US election
By Ernest Scheyder
September 12, 2024 4:58 PM EDT

Sept 12 (Reuters) - Native American opposition to Rio Tinto and BHP’s Resolution Copper mine could prove crucial for the 2024 U.S. presidential vote in the battleground state of Arizona, underscoring the high tension over where best to extract critical minerals for the energy transition.

The mine would, if built, supply more than a quarter of America's appetite for copper and be a key part of Washington's efforts to eat into China's role as the world's largest copper processor and consumer.

The U.S. imports nearly half of its copper needs, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and its copper mine production has dipped 11% since 2021. There are only two domestic copper smelters.

Yet the underground Resolution mine would cause a massive crater that would swallow a religious site where Arizona's San Carlos Apache worship. That has fueled strong opposition from all but one of the state's 22 Native American tribes, as well as the National Congress of American Indians.

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