Florence Copper to proceed with mining after town’s appeal rejected
by Joey Chenoweth | Casa Grande Dispatch
Wells on Florence Copper property, with Florence’s Poston Butte in the distance, are seen in the undated photo. The company currently operates no production wells, but believes it’s closer to starting its testing phase with the announcement it had received it EPA permit recently. Courtesy of Florence Copper
After the latest in a line of legal victories, Florence Copper officials are ready to move forward with construction.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Appeals Board (EAB) on Friday denied to review two appeals of the EPA’s decision in December to approve an Underground Injection Control permit to Florence Copper. The first appeal came from the town of Florence, while the second one was filed by Florence Councilman John Anderson.
In its ruling, the EAB said Anderson did not provide evidence supporting his claim that the UIC permit does not address water safety concerns associated with potential copper mining. By not showing how the EPA erred in providing the permit, the board decided it cannot review the case on those grounds.
