Rosemont Copper FEIS delayed by Coronado National Forest | Environment

Those looking to view the Rosemont Copper Project Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) will have to wait a little bit longer.

Initially set to publish in December, 2012, the Coronado National Forest has found that additional work must be done before the FEIS is made available. 

According to a recent news release the following additional work must be completed:

consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; consultation with tribes and the State Historic Preservation Office; Army Corps of Engineers permit coordination; updating of air quality models; additional transportation analysis; integration of updated lighting mitigation plans; evaluation of socioeconomic impacts to the astronomy industry in southern Arizona; and consultation with the Forest Service Southwestern Regional Office.

As of yet there is no exact date for FEIS release, according to the Forest Service news release, but the public will be kept up to date on progress.

The Coronado National Forest requested of Rosemont Copper, according to the news release, that they reconsider ‘various aspects of their operations’.  With the request being partly based on several of the 25,000 comments that were received on the October 2011 Draft EIS.  This was furthered by Rosemont’s August 2012 Feasibility Update Report, that reflected environmental and operational refinements, like addressing groundwater quality concerns and improvements of storm water management for the benefit of downstream resources.

The Coronado National Forest will take all new information that results from Rosemont’s Feasibility Update Report, into review and consideration during their analysis.