AMERICA

STOP FOR RIO TINTO: US court banned them from mining copper on sacred Apache land!

by Serbian Times11. May 2025.11. May 2025.

A U.S. federal judge has temporarily banned the administration of President Donald Trump from transferring ownership of disputed land to Rio Tinto for the construction of a copper mine, which is opposed by the local indigenous population.

In a long-standing struggle over the “Resolution Copper” project, the religious rights of the San Carlos Apache in Arizona are pitted against the growing demand for copper due to the energy transition and Washington’s efforts to expand the production of the ore, Reuters writes.

Resolution Copper (RCM) is a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto and BHP formed to develop and manage an underground copper mine near Superior, Arizona.

In an 18-page ruling, U.S. Judge Stephen Logan stated that “Apache Stronghold” – a non-profit group of Apaches and their allies – is likely to succeed in its appeal to the Supreme Court and that therefore the land transfer should be halted for now.

FIND OUT MORE:

He added that it was determined (even if it was probable) that irreparable harm would be done if the transfer proceeded.

The dispute concerns land at the “Oak Flat” site, which is federally owned and considered sacred to the Apache.

The site, however, holds reserves of more than 18.1 million tons of copper, a key component for electric vehicles and almost all electronic devices.

The “Resolution” project, if launched, would create a crater three kilometers wide and 304 meters deep, thus destroying a place where the Apache celebrate their deities.

Since 2021, courts have rejected the Apache’s request to block the transfer. The rulings have been delayed by a 2014 decision by the U.S. Congress and then-President Barack Obama.

U.S. President Donald Trump began the land transfer in his first term, a move that was later reversed by Joseph Biden, while the case continued to “travel” through various courts.

The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering whether to take up the case. The Supreme Court has said at least 13 times that it will continue to consider the appeal request, which is unusually many and takes a very long time.

Meanwhile, Trump restarted the land transfer process last month, with the goal of completing everything by June 16.