Posted on other board by Eli's. Loved to hear what you guys think. House vote on Resolution Copper mine put off indefinitely By Erin Kelly Republic Washington Bureau Wed Nov 13, 2013 9:53 PM http://www.azcentral.com/news/politics/articles/20131113house-vote-resolution-copper-mine-put-off-indefinitely.html?nclick_check=1 WASHINGTON — Plans to build North America’s largest copper mine near Superior were dealt a major blow Wednesday when congressional supporters of the project canceled a vote on their bill after a strong lobbying effort against the mine by Native American tribes throughout the nation. For the second time in two months, Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., was forced to pull his bill, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act, from the House floor or risk defeat. Gosar is the lead sponsor of the bill, which is co-sponsored by Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz. Supporters and opponents of the bill credited heavy lobbying by tribes for derailing the bill. The San Carlos Apache Tribe, which fears the mine will destroy its sacred land, reached out to tribes across the country for help in stopping the project. Those tribes then lobbied Republican House members in states with significant Native American populations to oppose a federal land swap that would have paved the way for Resolution Copper Co. to build the mine. Lawmakers who didn’t care one way or another about a copper mine in Arizona began to oppose Gosar’s bill to avoid getting in political trouble with their own tribal constituents, according to supporters and opponents of Gosar’s bill. To make matters worse for mine supporters, the bill was scheduled to come to a vote Wednesday in the midst of a Tribal Nations Conference this week that brought tribal leaders, including San Carlos Chairman Terry Rambler, to the nation’s capital to meet with White House officials. President Barack Obama spoke to the tribal leaders Wednesday. Those leaders included representatives from tribes in states such as Oklahoma, where lawmakers had been wavering on Gosar’s bill. Opponents of the mine say it would weaken the ground beneath sacred Native American lands such as Apache Leap, harm the environment and rock-climbing areas, and threaten the Phoenix area’s water supply. Gosar was angry about Wednesday’s setback but said he will try again if he can secure the votes. He and other supporters of the mine say it would create more than 3,700 jobs, generate more than $61billion in economic activity over the 66-year life of the mine, and supply 25percent or more of the nation’s demand for copper. “Today’s setback will not discourage me from my continued fight for this important Arizona jobs bill,” Gosar said in a statement. “I am disappointed that a mine of national significance that would have employed so many Native Americans was opposed by the leadership of the San Carlos Apache Tribe — a tribe plagued with excessively high unemployment and poverty. “It is inexplicable decisions like this that directly result in the continued poverty of the tribe and the deterioration of the economic prospects of the town of Superior and the entire state of Arizona.” Gosar accused San Carlos leaders of misleading other tribes about the project. Tribal leaders had no immediate comment Wednesday. “Polls show the majority of San Carlos Apache tribal members support the mine and the jobs,” Gosar said. “Their tribal leadership is out of touch with its own people. I am confident that the truth will prevail and the will of the members of the tribe and surrounding communities will be done.” Kirkpatrick also vowed to keep trying. “The families in Arizona’s Copper Corridor need these jobs, and Arizona’s economy needs this boost,” she said in a statement. “I remain committed to moving this forward, working across the aisle with Congressman Gosar and my colleagues and bringing local stakeholders together. When it comes to creating jobs and strengthening the economy, we need to find common ground.” Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz., one of the major opponents of the mine, had no immediate reaction to Wednesday’s turn of events. But he said in an interview last week that he believed an amendment to Gosar’s bill proposed by Rep. Ben Ray Lujan, D-N.M., was causing a problem for the mine’s supporters. Any attempt to ignore or kill the amendment would cause “a political firestorm” for mine supporters, Grijalva said.