QUESTIONS FOR AUGUSTA REPRESENTATIVES
According to an article in World Mining Stocks from Sept 2007, issue 11 Gil Clausen, president and CEO of Augusta Resource noted that although developing Rosemont is the companies primary focus, three other properties in Augusta's land holdings offered opportunities for further exploration. These properties are the Peach-Elgin, Broadtop Butte, and Copper World prospects. The article makes it clear that Augusta has no intentions of stopping with the Rosemont Mine. Rosemont may be where they plan to start but it looks like they intend on pursuing several future mines along the Sonoita-Patagonia Scenic route, and one on the west side of the Santa Rita's, which will be visible from Green Valley. Augusta is not making it clear to the public what their future intentions are in the Santa Rita's
These are questions that I would like Augusta to answer
1. If Augusta pursues the Peach-Elgin, Broadtop Butte, and Copper World prospects in the future how could their development combined with the Rosemont mine not drastically impact the scenic views?
2. If they don't plan to develop these mines in the future then will they donate the Peach-Elgin mine, Broadtop Butte mine, and Copper World mine properties to Pima County for conservation before the Rosemont mine proceeds?
3. Augusta resources makes it clear that the people of Green Valley, Tucson, and Vail will not see the Rosemont Mine. If they have future plans for additional mines in the area shouldn't they be fair to the public and inform them of these plans and their impact? The Peach-Elgin mine will clearly be visible to residents of Green Valley.
4. A group of us visited the area recently and were told by subcontractors of Augusta Resources that there is no trespassing, that it is private land. The road we were traveling was a national forest land road. Many of the roads providing access to national forest land pass through Augusta’s property. Don’t they have to provide access to the National forest land?
5. Augusta claims that the water they use will come from CAP. Isn’t it true that they are only allowed to purchase and store EXCESS CAP water and there is no guarantee of it. What if there is no excess CAP water available?
6. Is there any guarantee that Rosemont mine will not pump groundwater from the East side of the Santa Rita’s?
7. What effect on the groundwater table will digging a mile wide 2500 foot deep pit have on the groundwater on the East side of the Santa Ritas. Many residents have wells that are 3 to 4 hundred feet deep. Will they require deeper wells, or will city water have to be provided? Who will pay for this?
8. If the groundwater to the east of the Santa Rita’s becomes polluted like the Green Valley water where, will the water for all of us living in the Sonoita/Patagonia corridor come from and will Augusta Resources guarantee they will pay all related expenses to get it piped directly to our homes?
9. Many residents in this area are on fixed income. If their wells run dry many cannot afford to have them drilled deeper. Proving that the mines are responsible for lower groundwater tables is difficult. If this becomes a problem will Augusta guarantee that they will pay for well improvements necessary to provide water?
10. In Augusta's water plan dated 5/2007 they claim that in 2007 they would recharge 15,000 acre feet in the Santa Cruz Basin. What is the status of this claim?
11. Mine blasting creates sonic booms. What times of day would Rosemont blast? If it effects nearby homes by cracking foundations and stucco, will Augusta pay for improvements that are necessary?
12. What will the mine do to assure the light pollution does not adversely impact the observatories on Mt Hopkins? If it is later discovered that the lights do interfere with the Mt Hopkins observatories will Augusta Resources guarantee in writing that they will either reduce the lighting to acceptable levels, or if that is not possible to stop mining during the night? According to Augusta's lighting plan "The project, although not required to do so, will make every attempt to comply with the Pima county Outdoor lighting code. It should be noted, however, that federal and state laws also require Rosemont operations to give utmost attention to the safety of its employees and the public"
13. The School buses are on the road M-F from 6:00AM to 8:30AM, 11:00AM to12:00PM and from 1:00PM to 6:00PM. Will trucks carrying ore or explosive supplies to the mine travel on the road during these hours?
14. Will the I-10 Marsh Station Bridge be updated to eliminate the oversized loads now routed through SR83, or will these loads share this dangerous winding road with Augusta's trucks?
15. Will passing lanes be installed anywhere along SR83 to allow traffic to pass slower moving trucks?
16. Wouldn't it be better and less intrusive on the current SR83 travelers to improve it before opening the mine so it can handle the additional volume of heavy trucks, perhaps make it a concrete highway in the sections supporting heavy trucks?
17. The interchange from I-10 onto SR83 is not the safest. It consists of sharp curves, and an intersection of I-10 traffic, frontage road traffic, and old Sonoita highway traffic. It can be a very confusing intersection. Shouldn't this interchange be redesigned to handle the large increase in traffic volume before people die?
18. What type of trust is being established for the land reclamation? When will it be funded in full?
19. What criteria will be used to determine when the Rosemont mine is closed?