The 9th U.S. Circuit Court has blocked a proposed land swap that would allow construction of the Resolution Copper mine in Arizona. The ruling came the night before the public lands about 40 miles east of Phoenix were expected to be transferred to the company.
Conservation and recreation groups, the Inter Tribal Association of Arizona, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe, which filed separate lawsuits challenging the land transfer, asked the appeals court for an emergency injunction after a district judge declined to pause the exchange while the lawsuits proceeded.
A Resolution spokesperson described the ruling as a “temporary pause” to allow the court time to review, according to the Arizona Republic. The company expressed confidence that the court would affirm the earlier ruling, stating that “the congressionally directed land exchange meets all applicable legal requirements.”
Resolution Copper is a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto (55%) and BHP (45%).