WASHINGTON, D.C. — The first bill introduced by newly-elected U.S. Rep. Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., seeks to use national security as a way to overturn previously passed bi-partisan legislation.
On Wednesday, Grijalva introduced the Save Oak Flat from Foreign Mining act.
“Oak Flat is sacred, irreplaceable, and it should never have been traded away to foreign mining giants in a backroom deal that ignored Tribal Nations, silenced the public, and put Arizona’s water and national security at risk,” Grijalva said in prepared statement. “This legislation is about repealing an indefensible land swap, respecting Tribal sovereignty and religious freedom, and protecting Arizona’s precious natural resources for future generations.”
Grijalva’s bill states Chinalco, a company wholly owned by the People Republic of China, is the largest shareholder in Rio Tinto, which holds 55 percent of Resolution Copper, and that BHP — the other shareholder in Resolution Copper — generates 62 percent of its revenue from sales of minerals to China.
Oak Flat is part of more than 2,400 acres of land in the Tonto National Forest that Congress approved in 2014 to swap for 5,400 acres of land offered by Rio Tinto, the developers of the proposed Resolution Copper Mine.
The land transfer had wide bipartisan support in Congress, spearheaded by the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., who was serving in Arizona First Congressional District at the time, and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. It was introduced as part of a defense bill that was signed by former President Obama.
In August, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal granted injunctive relief to the San Carlos Apache Tribe and Arizona Mining Reform Coalition, temporarily halting the land transfer that would allow for development of the Resolution Copper Mine.
Grijalva represents Arizona’s 7th Congressional District. Oak Flat sits in Arizona’s 2nd Congressional District, which is represented by Republican Eli Crane.
