by Ethan Faverino | Aug 10, 2025 | Economy, News
By Ethan Faverino |
State Representative Walt Blackman, Chairman of the House Committee on Government, reiterated his strong support for the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) for the Resolution Copper project, completed by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS).
In a letter addressed to the Acting Forest Supervisor Ericka Luna, Representative Blackman called for the swift execution of the land exchange authorized by Congress in Section 3003 of the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2015 Fiscal Year.
Representative Blackman said, “The Resolution Copper project is a rare opportunity to strengthen Arizona’s economy—especially in the historic Copper Corridor and across District 7. It will bring high-wage jobs, critical infrastructure investments, and lasting economic support for local businesses.”
The Resolution Copper Project is anticipated to create thousands of construction jobs at first, with thousands more supported during decades of mine operations.
With Arizona’s average mining wage at around $100,000, these jobs promise to enhance the livelihoods of working families across the state.
The project is also expected to generate tens of millions in annual tax revenue, enabling critical investments in public roads and essential services for the Town of Superior and the surrounding areas.
The FEIS, culminating over a decade of National Environmental Policy Act analysis, incorporates extensive input from tribal governments, local communities, and other stakeholders.
Resolution Copper’s Community Working Group has played a vital role in developing mitigation strategies and promoting shared goals.
Additionally, more than 23 local municipalities and organizations have signed Good Neighbor Agreements, establishing a structure for responsible land and community management throughout the mine’s lifespan.
Blackman added, “Resolution Copper has made a genuine effort to work with the community and earn local support—truly being a good neighbor. This project is ready to move forward, and it’s time it does. I urge the Forest Service to act without further delay.”
Representative Blackman emphasized the project’s alignment with Arizona’s legacy as a leader in U.S. copper production. He urged the USFS to proceed with the land exchange, highlighting the potential to drive sustainable economic growth for the Copper Corridor and throughout Arizona.
Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.
by Matthew Holloway | Jun 21, 2025 | Economy, News
By Matthew Holloway |
The Resolution Copper project, a joint venture of BHP and Rio Tinto, issued a statement Tuesday welcoming the republication of the Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) by the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) for its proposed underground mine 60 miles east of Phoenix near Superior, AZ.
The proposed development of the largest untapped copper deposit in the world relies on a major land-swap between the Rio Tinto, BHP, federal and state governments to proceed.
Initially the FEIS for the project was released by the Forest Service in 2021, but was later withdrawn by the agency to provide additional time for the USFS to study the objections of tribal governments and the overall community.
The proposed mine is controversial and would ultimately transform the Oak Flat parcel southwest of Superior, currently forest service land, into a 1.8-mile-wide crater between 800 and 1,115 feet deep, in exchange for 6,005 acres of land to be transferred by BHP and Rio Tinto local, state and federal governments and agencies.
“As part of the land exchange, Resolution Copper has committed to initiatives that support cultural preservation, recreation, education, employment, economic development, and nature through long-term partnerships with Native American Tribes and local communities. This includes significant funding in a long-term Native American Trust Fund and Emory Oak restoration,” Resolution Copper stated. “Other commitments focus on conservation and monitoring of seeps and springs; restoration and preservation of creeks, rivers, and watersheds; and habitat enhancement for biodiversity.”
Vicky Peacey, General Manager of Resolution Copper said, “Through this process, we have deepened our relationships with local communities and Native American Tribes, including our senior leaders spending time with Tribal leaders to listen and build mutual understanding. We welcome the opportunity to continue these conversations as we move into the next phase of permitting. Working together, mining can co-exist with cultural heritage, recreation, and nature, while delivering new economic opportunities in rural Arizona.”
“This project has undergone one of the most comprehensive environmental and social reviews in U.S. history,” she added. “The republication of the FEIS reflects the thorough work by the USFS, local communities, and Native American Tribes and the seriousness with which all stakeholders have approached this process. We remain committed to earning trust through transparency, engagement, and responsible development as we move forward.” In PR posts to social media, Resolution Copper boasts the prospects of adding $1.2 Billion to Arizona’s economy and thousands of jobs in Superior and Magma, AZ, totaling $270 million in annual salaries.
In a statement posted to X, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins expressed the Trump administration’s support for the proposal early in the week, noting that the republication of the withdrawn FEIS is “an important step in advancing President Trump’s goal of emergency and mineral independence by boosting domestic mineral production.” Rollins added, “The Resolution Copper project is a prime example of how we can harness America’s abundant resources to fuel growth in rural America, reduce our dependence on foreign imports, strengthen our supply chains, and enhance our national security.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture detailed in a Tuesday release that the land transfer cannot occur until August 19, 2025, or 60 days after the Federal Register notice is published per a ruling from a U.S. District Court on June 9th. It added that, if approved, the mine is projected to generate $149 million in annual payroll, with approximately 1,500 jobs, providing between $80 and $120 million a year in estimated state and local tax revenue as well as $200 million a year to the federal government. The final environmental impact statement is expected to be posted to the Federal Register, along with the draft decision record from the USFS on June 20th.
The public has 45 days to make any objections to the decision and the USFS must respond and address any objections within 90 days, meaning the project could see final approval as soon as November 2nd.
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Mar 29, 2025 | News
By Matthew Holloway |
A rash of copper theft has exploded over the Phoenix metro area with Lumen Technologies, the parent company of CenturyLink, observing a 76% year-over-year spike. The increase in theft has been connected with both small-time criminals and drug addicts, as well as organized criminal enterprises targeting critical communications infrastructure.
In an emailed statement, Lumen Technologies’ Sr. Media Relations Manager Rachael Adair described the level of damage occurring as “rivaling natural disasters.” She warned that “these thefts can disrupt essential services, affecting access to online health and emergency services, and endangering people with medical devices. Manholes containing gas and power lines pose severe risks if tampered with.”
In an interview with AZ Free News, CenturyLink’s Head of Corporate Security Dan Chason, a 33-year law enforcement veteran, explained: “The Phoenix area of Arizona is in the top five of total losses when we rank by state. They’re in the top five as far as the amount of losses, and those losses have increased 76%.”
The losses Chason referred to include copper thefts, fiber cuts, and any equipment losses that Lumen sustains in the Arizona market. As previously reported by AZ Free News, the Tucson area was hit by a wave of copper thefts in late 2024 that left whole neighborhoods literally in the dark with street lights and traffic signals stripped.
When asked why the spike CenturyLink has seen is happening in Phoenix, Chason was answered, “The crimes now seem to be more located in the metro area of Phoenix. And there’s a reason. If I showed you a map, and I can show you a map. There’s 17 resellers in a 20 block area. Some of these are fly by night. Some of them are legit. But for the most part, they all have to abide by the law and the law is you have to have an identification and a photo ID, and you have to be the one who possesses the copper.”
The former police officer tied the phenomenon directly to drug abuse adding, “But what happens is these organized, I call them gangs, but these organized groups. They send a girlfriend, a cousin, or somebody in there to sell the copper so their name doesn’t appear on the log, yet they’re logging in. We had one situation in another state where we had a reseller that was trading crack cocaine for wire. So that tells you the type of people we’re dealing with. You got people who are looking for that next fix. They are the ones predominantly doing it. They’re looking for that next fix, and if they can go in that pedestal and make 60 bucks, they’re tickled. And that’s how they support their habit.”
He also noted Arizona’s location on the border with Mexico as a potential vector for resellers to offload the stolen copper. “You have organized groups who actually make their living doing this. The problem with Arizona? It’s not beyond the scope of imagination that you can put all this together. Get a load of cable and it goes across the border, never to be seen again. That’s the other aspect of the Southwest. It’s where it’s resold.” He noted that the resale value is higher in Mexico.
Chason also noted that while CenturyLink has seen spikes in theft in the past, “This one is right in-line to be as bad as it was before. And our losses the last time exceeded $1,000,000. So we’re very concerned about it. The problem with this issue is these thieves go out and it’s like, they’re shopping. ‘Where can I make a quick buck?’ And when you have less than scrupulous resellers that buy it without tracing where the source of it is, they go and they cash it in. They get the money.”
He said that although CenturyLink has increased security at key facilities, that isn’t always where thieves strike. “They cut down aerial wires, rip out the pedestal wires, even go into our manhole, into what we call vaults. And they go in there and it’s like the Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”
Lumen Technologies and CenturyLink are appealing to Arizonans for help as summer approaches. “The thing that we ask the public is to be eyes and ears because this crime is not a victimless crime. Think about it. Your grandmother is at home, lives out in the sticks, falls, and breaks a hip. How does she call 911?” he asked.
“Our services affect public safety, hospitals, prisons, and your personal life up to and including your cell carrier. The big cell carriers use our fiber and our lines to provide their service so you can knockout cell carriers just by cutting some of these wires.”
Focusing on what the industry needs from lawmakers, Chason said he would ask the authorities to “stop defining this as a property crime. It’s not a property crime. It is a critical infrastructure crime.”
He continued, “Because when you hit us, you affect every possible service out there. For example, they cut some copper and fiber in Tacoma, Washington that fed the port of Tacoma and shut down the entire port. The same cut shut down a prison. It shut down a hospital. We hear these horror stories over and over and over again. And here’s where it’s going to lead. It’s going to lead to the loss of life. That’s exactly where it’s going, and all we’re asking the AG is this. We are working with our legislative branch. We have a legislative and government affairs branch that is working on legislation in Arizona right now.”
Chason concluded that the issue will persist “until we get these designated as a serious crime that has serious penalties.” He continued, “Because our biggest issue is police response because they view it as a property crime. I had a detective tell me that ‘if it ain’t bleeding, don’t call me.’ We defund the police. We don’t give the police the resources that they need, and I’m sensitive to that because that’s where I come from.
“But the fact remains, we are part of that tax base and part of that community, and our job is to be able to serve our customers with the promises that we make. And when you have customers that are without services for weeks because of having to reroute our crews to service the same cuts over and over and over again…. We had one cut, we were repairing an aerial cable in the curve of a road, our crew is on the upper curve repairing, and the thieves are back on the other again, cutting it again! It’s a vicious cycle.
“And it’s not going to change until the public says that’s enough. I’m not feeding your drug habit anymore. That’s enough. If you see something, say something. And once we get that and we can make enough noise, the police will respond.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
by Matthew Holloway | Jan 8, 2025 | News
By Matthew Hollway |
Wide swaths of Tucson city streets are cloaked in darkness on a nightly basis as city officials have struggled to grapple with a massive spike in copper theft. As many as 1,000 city streetlights have been disabled and stripped, leaving local roadways dark. Tucson officials told the Arizona Daily Star that the thieves have been stripping out the copper from the streetlights faster than maintenance crews can replace it. The cost to the taxpayer has spiraled to approximately $1.3 million in replacement wire and infrastructure repair.
Last month, KVOA reported that a neighborhood near the intersection of Fort Lowell and Romero roads was primarily lit by residents’ Christmas lights. The outlet reports that over 400,000 feet of wire has been stolen.
In a statement to the network, the City of Tucson said, “[T]hieves are stealing the wire faster than staff can replace it. [T]hese thefts have overwhelmed staff’s capacity to make repairs. Staff is working as efficiently as possible to keep up with all the outages.”
The wire, coveted by thieves, can be sold and recycled, yielding about $2.30 per pound in the southern area of Arizona. The Arizona Daily Star reported that, per Tucson PD, the stolen wire is difficult to track, owing to a lack of identifying markings on the malleable copper. Although scrap merchants are required to document the identities of those they purchase copper from, this is of limited assistance when the individual stolen items cannot be tracked.
City officials with the Department of Transportation and Mobility told reporters that the issue is exacerbated by staffing shortages impacting the city and have led to a six-month backlog on repair orders. As a result, a triage system is now in use prioritizing pedestrian crosswalks, as well as higher speed and higher traffic volume roadways.
In an October post to X, the Department warned would-be thieves, “Stealing copper wire is not only illegal, it’s extremely dangerous! Copper theft can lead to severe injuries, power outages, and even loss of life. Think twice before putting yourself & others at risk. Report suspicious activity to authorities immediately. Stay safe, stay smart!”
The city told KVOA that it is bringing about new security measures in an attempt to prevent future thefts but declined to provide details. They did tell reporters that they are working closely with the Tucson Police Department.
Tucson Vice Mayor Kevin Dahl told the Arizona Daily Star, that the city has brought in contractors to aid city workers in identifying, locating, and repairing the disabled lights in a costly operation not accounted for in the city’s budget.
“We have to do it, but some other program will suffer because of that,” Dahl explained. “The money (to fix this) doesn’t come out of nowhere. There’s no special grants for this.”
Addressing the new security efforts he added, “We are trying innovative techniques to foil continued theft, and while some have been circumvented, we hope that some will ultimately prove successful.”
Dahl told reporters that although residents cannot repair the damaged lights themselves, security camera footage and tips from witnesses have contributed to successful arrests and felony charges. “Getting the culprits arrested is the best prevention,” Dahl said. “Help be our eyes in your neighborhoods. If you see this happening, 911 is a real quick call to make … if we knock off 10-20% of the bad guys, that’s a lot off our work load.”
Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.
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