The ambitious Hermosa Mine Project, a venture by South32 with aspirations of fueling the nation's transition to cleaner energy through the extraction of critical minerals, has motorists in the region eyeing the rearview, wary of the environmental and societal toll that building a mine in the idyllic Patagonia Mountains could entail. This particular initiative has honed in on sourcing zinc and manganese to sate the burgeoning appetite for electric vehicle batteries, and while digging hasn't started, officials are keen to commence zinc production in 2027.
With proceedings inching forward, the United States Forest Service (Forest Service), the spearhead regulatory body, has given the green light to initiate the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) steps, unfurling an extensive analysis period to dissect the potential environmental aftermaths. This scoping phase is to be a 30-day affair, setting the stage for the draft EIS comment period and subsequent 45-day objection window in the following year, according to Forest Service acting project manager, Ed Monin.
"Which will occur over the next three years for first production in 2027," said Pat Risner, president of the Hermosa project, in a statement underpinning the project's progression into construction. However, residents and local authorities have raised flags regarding the tight public scoping time box, advocating for more comprehensive community enlightenment amidst a backdrop where a significant Spanish-speaking populace resides. Emphasizing the community's need for clearer communication, Santa Cruz County officials have penned a letter to the Forest Service pleading for extended engagement to educate residents thoroughly on the project's potential effects.
Paving the way for input, the Forest Service rolled out interactive webinars in dual languages and announced in-person meetups for the public to cast their comments. A formal statement brought into focus by AZPM points to broader ambitions for cross-agency facilitation by Eric Beightel, of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council (FPISC), while South32 remains tight-lipped on timelines concerning the more nascent manganese deposit.
Yet for all the administrative moves and projected economic benefits, local groups like the Calabasas Alliance remain at loggerheads with the proposal, as echoes of concern swell over groundwater matters and the precise whereabouts of the proposed manganese processing plant. Robin Lucky, the alliance's president, voiced the community's misgivings, questioning the state's alignment with the general public's well-being. Meanwhile, state agencies such as the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) are in the midst of decision-making for vital permits, with determinations expected on the horizon for both air quality and pollutant discharge accreditations. Despite the looming gravitas of federal procedures, the pulse of discontent in Patagonia seems set on a long and winding road ahead.
Editor's note: The article now has an image of the actual Hermosa mine project, whereas it previously had a stock image of a similar such project.
