Hermosa Mineral Drilling Proposal: Draft Environmental Assessment Released

The Coronado National Forest has released the draft Environmental Assessment (EA) for the AZ Mining Inc (aka Wildcat Silver, Arizona Minerals Inc) Hermosa exploratory mineral drilling project in the Patagonia Mountains.

Assist PARA in protecting our precious and imperiled natural resources such as clean water and wildlife, and actively advocate for the preservation of those resources by opposing AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver’s draft EA drilling exploration plan.

Plan to attend and ask questions at the public meeting hosted by the Coronado National Forest about AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver’s draft Environmental Assessment at the Patagonia Union High School. Monday, March 24 from 6-8pm.
Submit comments to the Forest Service about AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver’s draft EA drilling plan. Want to know how? Attend PARA’s comment-writing workshop with Jenny Neeley and Sergio Avila on Wednesday, March 26, 4pm – 7pm Open House at Cady Hall.
Sign a petition telling the Coronado National Forest that an EA is insufficient and a full Environmental Impact Statement is necessary when considering the Hermosa mineral drilling proposal. Sign Petition here.
Advocate for the protection of our community’s drinking water, natural resources, and distinct, serene rural way-of-life by making a donation. Every single donation assists PARA in our watchdog efforts for the Patagonia area.

Deadline to comment is Monday, April 7, 2014. The Hermosa draft EA is available online at the Forest Service project webpage:http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/nepa_project_exp.php?project=41158.

Hermosa Drilling Proposal Location

To submit your comments:

Include your name, postal address, title of the project (Hermosa Drilling Project) and signature (or verification of identity upon request.)

Comments may be submitted as follows:
Email: Electronic comments including attachments may be submitted by email in word (.doc), rich text format (.rtf), text (.txt), portable document format (.pdf), and hypertext markup language (.html) to: comments-southwestern-coronado@fs.fed.us with subject: Hermosa Drilling Project.

Facsimile: 520-388-8305, ATTN: Margie DeRose

U.S. Mail: Coronado National Forest, ATTN: Margie DeRose, 300 W. Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701

Hand-delivery: 6th floor, 300 W. Congress St., Tucson, AZ 85701. Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding Federal holidays.

Only individuals who submit comments about this proposed project during this public comment period will be eligible to file an objection.

Exposing New Threats

While AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver’s draft EA drilling exploration is up for public review and comment, the plans that AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver is sharing with investors are for an open pit silver mine in the Patagonia Mountains with the details revealed in a document found on their website: “Form 43-101F1 Technical Report Pre-Feasibility Study.”

AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver’s Pre-Feasibility Study contains a wide range of information about the open pit mine they want to dig in the Patagonia Mountains. PARA and Earthworks are coordinating to analyze AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver’s pre-feasibility study so that the community can fully understand the impacts of the proposed open pit mine.

Earthworks is a national non-profit organization based in Washington D.C. that is “dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the impacts of irresponsible mineral and energy development while seeking sustainable solutions. Earthworks stands for clean water, healthy communities and corporate accountability.”

PARA has teamed with Earthworks to develop an independent, peer-reviewed report of the potential consequences of AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver’s open pit mine on our groundwater, the potential for acid drainage contamination, heavy metals pollution, as well as the range of issues associated with air pollution, light and noise pollution.

By teaming with Earthworks and commissioning this report, the dangers of mining in the Patagonia Mountains can no longer be dismissed as opinion, but will present a meaningful and credible analysis highlighting specific and anticipated impacts from the proposed AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver open pit mine.

We are fortunate to have a group of amazing and committed community members and generous donors supporting our work that make everything we do for the Patagonia area possible.

Please consider a gift today to ensure that we have the scientific analyses necessary to actively challenge the Hermosa proposal and AZ Mining Inc / Wildcat Silver’s web of obfuscation. You may contribute securely online at: www.patagoniaalliance.org/donations . Also, please consider a recurring monthly contribution through PayPal.

Every single contribution makes a sizable difference in our organization and ultimately for the community of Patagonia. It is only because of the generous support from people like you that we can undertake this critical work. Thank you!