A U.S. federal judge has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from transferring land to Rio Tinto and BHP for their Resolution copper mine in Arizona, citing the Supreme Court’s ongoing deliberations in the complex case, reported Reuters.
In an 18-page order, U.S. District Judge Steven Logan said the nonprofit Apache Stronghold was likely to succeed in its appeal to the Supreme Court and thus, the land transfer should be temporarily halted.
“It is abundantly clear that the balance of equities tips sharply in [Apache Stronghold’s] favor, and that even in the short term, they have established a likelihood of irreparable harm should the transfer proceed,” said Logan.
The case centers on the federally owned Oak Flat Campground, a place of worship for some Apache, that sits atop a reserve of more than 40 billion pounds of copper,
Since 2021, courts have rejected a request by the Apache to block the transfer, noted Reuters. The rulings deferred to a 2014 decision made by Congress and then-President Barack Obama. The land transfer process began under President Donald Trump’s first term, then stopped under President Biden.
Rio Tinto told the news agency it was reviewing the district court’s ruling. “This short-term order…changes nothing about the merits of the legal issues currently before the Supreme Court,” said a spokesperson for the miner.
Resolution Copper is a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto (55%) and BHP (45%).
Source: Reuters