Federal Court halts Oak Flat transfer amid copper mine debate

With a deadline approaching, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals last week granted an emergency injunction that temporarily halted the ownership transfer of Oak Flat to Resolution Copper.

The ruling drew national attention. Within 24 hours, President Donald Trump weighed in on social media, blasting the court of appeals as a “Radical Left Court” for blocking the deal with a foreign-owned mining company.

He wrote, “our country, quite simply, needs copper – AND NOW,” while also labeling opponents of the mine as “anti-American.”

Debra Krol, who is an Indigenous Affairs Reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com, joined “Arizona Horizon” to help break down the latest developments.

Resolution Copper has had their eyes set on building a giant copper mine at Oak Flat for roughly 25 years. Every year they have been making their argument to Congress and they continued to get turned down.

Oak Flat is around 60 miles east of Phoenix, in the Pinal mountains, and around a 2200-acre camp ground.

While the ownership transfer has been temporarily halted, Resolution Copper has already started preparing for their anticipated takeover.

“They’ve been dewatering, preparatory to getting permission to start the mining process,” Krol said. “Eventually, Oak Flat will turn into a giant crater and will no longer be passable or usable by people.”

Krol explained how Oak Flat is very sacred to several bands of Apache peoples, and very culturally important to the Yavapais, and other groups as well.

“It is considered to be the home,” Krol said, “…one of the principal homes of the mountain spirits known as ‘Gan.'”

Krol emphasized how these religions are land-based religions and the land around them is sacred to those groups of people.

“If the piece of land, or the rock formation, or the sacred grove, or the mountain goes away,” Krol explained, “…that spirituality goes away. That’s what they’re fighting. “