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.
GRIP and its partners submitted scoping comments to the Gila National Forest on the Bronco Creek Exploration proposal for exploratory drilling in the Malone Mining District in the Burro Mountains. Drilling for copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver is proposed to take place on the west side of Knight Peak, a popular recreation area between […]
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has told a Federal Court in New Mexico that it “intends to withdraw” its decision to allow the development of a Dolomite mine on public land in the Florida Mountains south of Deming, New Mexico. A Motion for Stay of All Proceedings in Case Number 2:20-cv-00924, filed January 11, 2021, […]
After years of perseverance, Chino mine is now required to treat mine effluent at closure rather than diluting it to meet water quality standards, saving thousands of acre-feet per year of Grant County’s precious groundwater. This victory was a long-time in coming and the result of years of pressure by GRIP and community members on […]
Along with companies, communities and other civil society groups, GRIP has joined the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) to demonstrate support for socially and environmentally responsible mining and to encourage New Mexico mining operations to conduct IRMA mine assessments. With increased customer awareness, companies in the auto, jewellry, building and electronics industries are demanding […]
Deming, NM. – A coalition of conservation groups are suing the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to reverse the agency’s approval of an extensive mining exploration and development project in the Florida Mountains by American Magnesium, LLC. The lawsuit focuses on violations of the Administrative Procedures Act, Federal Land Management Policy Act, and the National Environmental […]
After an online public meeting in August, GRIP submitted comments on the revised Tyrone Mine Reclamation Plan that is more than a decade out of date. Our public comments focused on the ineffectiveness of the online public meeting format to address the public’s concerns with how Freeport-McMoRan intends to reclaim the mine site once operations […]
Freeport-McMoRan submitted an application to the state Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) to expand the Little Rock mine just west of the Tyrone mine. In addition to requests made by several residents that live adjacent to the mine, GRIP requested a public hearing on the proposal, citing a number of concerns that are of interest […]
On March 31, 2020, the Mining and Minerals Division (MMD) of the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, rescinded its prior determination that the permit application for the Copper Flat Mine is technically complete. According to the MMD’s order, the mining company’s mine permit application is incomplete because the mining company has not demonstrated that it […]
DOWNLOAD December 2019 Edition of GetAGRIP and find out the latest on the Holloman Air Force Base proposal for F-16 training over the Gila, Responsible Mining update, Cut Your Waste Grant County Buy Nothing New campaign, the Gila diversion draft EIS, and the latest activities of the Silver City Watershed Keepers.
Fierro, New Mexico: Memories of a Mining Town The year was 1997. Hear the voices of the people from the mining town of Fierro who were concerned about the impacts from Cobre Mining Co.’s proposal to take down Hanover Mountain and expand the mine. Now more than ever, these community perspectives are important […]
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