Grant County is home to two of the nation’s five largest open-pit copper mines, responsible for ongoing groundwater contamination, aquifer depletion, bird deaths, and the destruction of preciouis riparian areas.
Since 1998, GRIP has raised awareness of these issues and mobilized residents to voice their opinions at hearings and in letters to newspapers and decisionmakers. By hiring a national expert in mine reclamation, we have also educated regulators and the mines about industry best practices.
As a result of these efforts and the support of environmental groups statewide, the Tyrone and Chino mines have two of the nation’s best reclamation plans, backed by over $500 million in financial assurance.
As a partner in the New Mexico Mining Act Network, GRIP continues to defend the NM Mining Act and Water Quality Act from industry rollback attempts, such as with the latest water quality regulation for copper mining. Ongoing activities include monitoring the environmental impacts of the mines under operational permits, oversight of permitting for a proposed new haul road at the Cobre mine and permitting of a new mine near Hillsboro.
Mining and Minerals Division Hearing Recap and Opportunities to Submit Public Comment New Mexico Copper Corporation (NMCC) has proposed to reopen the Copper Flat Mine outside of Hillsboro in Sierra County. State regulators are reviewing the revised Copper Flat application, giving New Mexicans another opportunity to ask whether the mine can operate and be reclaimed […]
Silver City, NM – U.S.-based mineral exploration company Ivanhoe Electric submitted to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) a “relinquishment” of 642 mining claims on 13,264 acres in the Gila National Forest that it had staked in 2024 for copper exploration. According to the BLM, mining claim relinquishment is “the formal, voluntary surrender of all […]
Mining and Minerals Division to hold public hearing on Copper Flat Mine September 17 The NM Mining and Minerals Division will hold a public hearing on the reopening of the Copper Flat Mine outside of Hillsboro on Thursday, September 17 at 5:30 pm at the Hillsboro Community Center. NM Copper Corporation has submitted a new […]
Within days of Ivanhoe Electric’s withdrawal of its draft exploration Plan of Operations, GRIP discovered that Rio Tinto, through its subsidiary Kennecott Exploration, had filed with BLM and the Grant County Clerk’s Office documentation for 250 lode claims on approximately 5,000 acres of the Gila National Forest near the Continental Divide Trail, northwest of Silver City. A number […]
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 20, 2026 Contact: Allyson Siwik, Gila Resources Information Project – 575.590.7619 cell Todd Schulke, Center for Biological Diversity – 575.574.5962 cell Community Opposition Forces Ivanhoe Electric to Withdraw Exploration Proposal from Gila National Forest Silver City, NM – Today, U.S.-based mineral exploration company Ivanhoe Electric withdrew its geophysical survey Plan […]
Photo: Ben Lilly Overlook, Dennis O’Keefe Speak up to protect the Gila National Forest from a massive new mining exploration project being developed by Ivanhoe Electric, a U.S.-based mineral exploration company. In 2024, the company’s subsidiary, Pinos Altos Exploration, staked 642 lode claims covering 13,264 acres of Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and […]
Silver City, NM– Weakening mining regulations and expanding pollution of public lands, not clarity, would be the outcomes of the pending Mining Regulatory Clarity Act. Environmental groups from across New Mexico, including the Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment, Amigos Bravos, Gila Resources Information Project, Southwest Research and Information Center, and the New Mexico Environmental […]
A Message from Our Director As we reflect on the past year, we are honored to share that the Silver City/Grant County Chamber of Commerce recognized GRIP with the Community Stewardship Nonprofit of the Year award. This distinction is deeply meaningful. Not only because it is an acknowledgement of the work we do every day, […]
August 25, 2025 Santa Fe, NM— The State Engineer issued her decision last week denying Tulla Resources’ application to transfer water rights needed to reopen the Copper Flat Mine near Hillsboro in southern New Mexico. The State Engineer also noted the effects of climate change on New Mexico’s water resources. Quoting a 2006 Office of […]
Photo: James St. John The NM Mining and Minerals Division held a public hearing on the Emma and Tyrone Peak exploration projects on February 10. The public comment period remains open until Monday, February 24. The Emma Exploration at the Tyrone Mine would disturb 60 acres located adjacent to residences. Freeport has not disclosed in […]
2026 Gila Resources Information Project
