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The U.S. Forest Service has begun accepting public comments on the South32 Hermosa project in southern Arizona. The proposed mine, if approved, will produce manganese, zinc, silver, and lead—all important to batteries and other renewable energy technologies. In particular, manganese and zinc are included on the U.S. Geological Survey's 2022 list of 'critical minerals,' a list USGS is required to update every three years under the Energy Act of 2020. That law defines critical minerals as non-fuel minerals or mineral materials essential to U.S. economic or national security and which have supply chains "vulnerable to disruption."
The presence of critical minerals at the Hermosa site made the project eligible to apply to participate in the FAST-41 program, named for Title 41 of the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015, which is intended to centralize and coordinate federal environmental reviews. The Hermosa project is the first critical minerals project approved to participate in FAST-41.
The site of the proposed mine is within southern Arizona's Patagonia Mountains, a unique and important area known for its diversity of animals and plants. According to the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance, an advocacy organization working to protect the area, the Patagonia Mountains are "the pollinator capitol of the United States," home to hundreds of species of birds, and a migratory corridor for jaguars and ocelots.
Behind the scenes of the Bears Ears draft management plan
In the latest episode of the Center for Western Priorities podcast, The Landscape, Aaron and Kate are joined by Davina Smith, who represents the Navajo Nation on the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, and Lauren Henson, who is the Collaborative Management and Tribal Support Specialist for the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition, to talk about the Bears Ears draft monument management plan, which came out in March. They talk about how the draft plan came together and how to get involved.
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Recognizing that we are at a pivotal point in time where we must preserve, protect and properly manage our public lands, the new rule will bring balance to how we do that now and how we plan to pass these treasured lands to future generations.”
