Senator John McCain Pledges His Support For Resolution Copper Development

Tuesday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) visited the Resolution Copper Development in Arizona, which hosts one of the largest undeveloped copper reserves in the United States. During his visit, Sen. McCain pledged his support for the mine project, confirmed his commitment to push for legislation to help the mine and discussed the mining sector’s importance to Arizona’s economy. In particular, because of copper’s versatile properties, it is a major industrial metal and economic driver; in fact, the copper produced in 2013 valued at $9 billion and supported 48,000 direct and indirect jobs in the U.S.

Since 2005, Resolution has been seeking a federal land swap, which will give the mine access to lands that are currently excluded from mining by federal law. Resolution says that this exchange of lands would “secure the access we need to develop the safest, least intrusive mine possible and is “key to operating the mine safely at full capacity.” The proposal’s economic impact would greatly benefit not only the state of Arizona, but also the U.S.

“I’ve been involved in some frustrating issues in Washington, and this probably ranks in the top three or four,” McCain said. “It means so much to the people of this area, the people of Arizona, of the country and of the world who want access to the copper.”

Mining companies invest heavily in the research and development of new technologies and processes to minimize environmental impact, which part of what makes the U.S. one of the most environmentally superior places in the world for mining. Even before mining can commence, a plan to restore the proposed mine site to another beneficial use must be developed and approved by regulatory agencies, and funding must be set aside to complete the restoration work. Companies like Resolution pave the way in sustainable mining and strive to be environmental stewards in all of their operations.

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