Mining Myths
Home //
Fact-Checking the Extractive Industry
As hardrock mining companies like South32 and Barksdale Resource Corp. threaten our community, they utilize myths and misconceptions to get away with their dangerous and irresponsible practices. But the reality of the extractive industry paints a far different picture than they want us to believe. We’ve pulled together dozens of these prevalent myths to help others learn the truth, because we believe that education is the first step to take action.
Click on each myth to reveal the truth hidden behind it.
Myth:
An independent study shows a promise of regional and statewide job creation.
Reality:
The study was funded by Arizona Mining, Inc., an acquired subsidiary of South32, and the researchers did not disclose this conflict of interest.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
Why does the U.S. General Accounting Office say that there are at least 33,000 mines that "have degraded the environment", with thousands more discovered each year? The EPA also states abandoned mine lands "can pose serious threats to human health and the environment". For example, in September 2020, South32 reportedly transported nearly 9,000 gallons of brine wastewater to an Australian river 25 miles from the mine site, where they would then dump the brine. This happened up to 17 times a day. As a result, the wastewater contains arsenic, nickel, copper and other harmful substances.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
The EPA Estimates that the headwaters of 40% of the watersheds in the western US are contaminated by pollution from hardrock mining.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
A 2019 Boston Herald article reports, "In eastern Oklahoma's Tar Creek mining district, waterways are devoid of life ... despite a two-decade effort to clean up lead and zinc mines. More than $300 million has been committed since 1983, but only a small fraction of the impacted land has been reclaimed".
Sources:
- Boston Herald [See study by the AP]
Myth:
Reality:
In July, mining company South32 announced their massive dewatering plans, which will draw down an estimated 1.6 billion gallons of water per year for four years in order to help them reach their target minerals. Why is this acceptable when the Forest Service currently lists the Sonoita Creek watershed as “functioning at risk”?
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
According to a 2018 Patagonia Regional Times article, South32 forecasts that over 100 mining trucks will drive from the Hermosa Project mine site and through Patagonia every day. There will also be an undetermined number of trucks coming into town, "including water trucks..., employee transport vans, trailers with heavy machinery, and other company vehicles."
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
Hardrock mining is a billion dollar industry still operating under a law that hasn't been substantially updated since 1872. Under this law, mining companies don't pay royalties for minerals taken from public lands; are not obligated to share in the cost of remediation; and are not subject to modern environmental standards.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
A nonpartisan Pew Research study found that tax breaks and subsidies will cost Americans $1.6 billion over the next decade. Because the U.S. does not have a funding source for abandoned mine reclamation, the majority of it will fall on taxpayers. Pew Research estimates mine cleanup will cost Americans another $20 to $54 billion..
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
Just in February 2020, a Tucson federal judge overturned prior federal approval for the Rosemont open-pit copper mine in southern Arizona, after ruling to stop the project’s initiation in July 2019.
Sources:
Myth:
We need mining for everything we use
(goods, services, etc.).
Reality:
Modern living does require copper, iron, silver, etc. in some capacity. However, movements to reduce consumption, transition to zero waste, and innovate restorative economies all illustrate how we can choose lifestyles of greater positive impact. Moreover, with technologies today, we can do so much more to recycle existing metals, preventing the need for primary extraction. Even the World Economic Forum supports this transition, pointing to the necessity of creating circular (recycling) commodity chains for a sustainable future.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
Many running candidates for the Town of Patagonia, Santa Cruz County, and Arizona’s LD2 have varied views on the mining projects that are planned for the Patagonia Mountains. Not all of them are supportive of ongoing mining operations and/or expansions, and many plan to keep the mining companies accountable for their actions.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
In 2017, President Trump signed an executive order to shrink the nation’s largest national monument, the Grand Staircase-Escalante Monument in Utah, by 47%, opening it up to mining and other industrial activity. Lawsuits from environmental groups, and formal Congressional investigations illustrating that Trump's actions violate several laws, have slowed planning and prevented industrial activity. However, almost two dozen mining claims have been filed, and the Bureau of Land Management has spent over $2.3 million in taxpayer dollars preparing plans for opening the area to extraction. While the battles are bigger today than perhaps ever, resistance of civil society matters. Activists have staved off this threat for years, and can prevent devastating environmental impacts with persistence!
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
What they don’t want you to know is that each year the US government gives over $100 million in tax subsidies to hardrock mining companies. If some of this money was instead distributed to our region, we could have all of the community gains (and more!) without the environmental and long term economic damages caused by hardrock mining.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
South32, a spin-off company of BHP Billiton, operates the Cerro Matoso nickel and iron mine in Colombia, an operation managed by the latter company for decades. High rates of cancer, deafness, and other illnesses have affected mine workers, some of whom have initiated lawsuits against the company. Meanwhile, government health statistics show alarming rises in cancer and respiratory illness, and local indigenous communities report increased miscarriages, birth defects, and skin disease. In addition to denying health harms, South32 faces claims of human rights violations, and is under investigation by the government for evading royalty payments of over $180 million.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
While the mine will create jobs and may bring economic benefit in the short-term, it may also do great damage to the long-term economy we count on. Outdoor recreation along waterways in Arizona generates $13.5 billion annually (more than all of the mining in the state), and can continue to produce economic gain as long as we protect our waterways. People don’t boat in, camp near, or fish in waters that have been dried up or contaminated by mines.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
South32 recently announced their plans to put in an exit route that will connect the Hermosa Project in the Patagonia Mountains to Highway 82. While this route avoids town limits, it will cut right past Red Rock Acres, a residential area. Notice that this route's "reduced proximity to community" is listed as a 2, a low score.
Sources:
- Patagonia Regional Times | See page 1 & 4 for the roads story.
- South32
Myth:
Reality:
The Lead Queen Mine, a mine claimed by Arizona Mining Inc., has been a source of acid mine drainage since mid-2010. While the U.S. Forest Service has attempted to reclaim this abandoned mine site, they have failed again and again. Each failure has led to ongoing pollution and wasted tax dollars.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
AZ is considered the 9th-friendliest mining district in the world, and the state has a history of siding with mines over human health and safety. For example: the copper mine and smelter in Hayden has been traced to elevated rates of lung cancer, lead poisoning, and arsenic. The employees of the Hayden copper mine, the majority of them Mexican American, fought for their rights, safety, and health. But state senators and regulators helped the mining company responsible for these injustices evade environmental regulations, carry out company-funded health studies, and break up worker strikes.
Sources:
- Sicotte, Diane. 2009. “Power, Profit and Pollution: The Persistence of Environmental Injustice in a Company Town.” Human Ecology Review 16(2): 141-150.
- AZ Central
- Center for Public Integrity
Myth:
Reality:
Citizens in west Colorado got organized, sued, and won in federal court to block the expansion of the West Elk Mine. The federal judge said the mine ignored the harmful effects of its operations on water and fish.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
In July, 2019, the DC District Court ruled that the EPA will not require mining companies to prove that they have the financial assurances to perform cleanups in the event of toxic disasters or hazardous spills. If this happens, are you comfortable knowing that either you will be left with toxins or that you will be left with your taxes paying for the cleanup?
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
Mining almost always leaves metal contamination as the rainwater and waterways carry small particles of metals (lead, zinc, manganese, copper) that then is transported to nearby streams, river and water sources. Even small amounts of metals found in water can be toxic and cause serious health problems to humans and animals.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
South32 has shown a clear lack of transparency with the Patagonia community. Only some groups have received communication or been asked to attend “invite only” meetings on the recently announced mine exit route. Public meetings have been planned for the middle of the day when most people work and can’t attend, and event recordings have not been released. Clear information has not been shared with the community as a whole.
Myth:
Reality:
After a 30-year battle, the Tŝilhqot'in Nation defeated a proposed $1.5 billion proposed open-pit gold and copper mine. Their May 2020 win in Canada’s Supreme Court protects lands used for cultural activities, burials and spiritual ceremonies, salmon fishing and other community livelihoods. As one community Chief shared, “We don't know how to lose, we'll go down fighting.”
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
Myth:
Reality:
Though it’s quite shocking, we are still operating under the 1872 General Mining Act today, which was passed to help settle the West. This law allows companies to prospect for hardrock minerals freely in almost 500 million acres of public domain lands. In 2012-2013, 46 companies extracting minerals from these public lands made more than $9.5 billion in royalty-free hardrock minerals. If we charged a 4% royalty rate, the federal government would have collected almost $500 million in corporate taxes in 2012 and 2013.
Sources:
- Natural Resources Committee. 2014. Treasure for the Taking: America Gives Away Billions’ Worth of Hardrock Minerals.
Myth:
Reality:
In the Patagonia Mountains, Australian mining company South32 has promised transparency several times but hasn’t delivered. Election candidates in Santa Cruz County have written op-eds questioning this lack of transparency.
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
In 2020, the National Mining Association PAC (Political Action Committee) contributed to both Representative Gosar’s (R) and Senator McSally’s (R) campaigns. Ask yourself, what are they trying to “buy” with their contributions?
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
Why, then, did the mining industry spend over $174 thousand in direct contributions to senators and representatives and well over $1 million dollars in lobbying congressional members in 2019? And why were over 90% of the contributions made to republicans, the same party that has regularly downplayed and denied climate change and loosened myriad environmental and health regulations?
Sources:
Myth:
Reality:
Ecotourism, which is at risk if we let mines damage our natural resources, is Arizona’s number one export industry! In 2019, nearly 47 million ecotourists visited Arizona, spending $25.5 billion. The taxes brought in from this industry amount to $1,400 in tax breaks for each Arizonan, while supporting over 194,000 jobs. Currently in Santa Cruz county, there are 2,000 jobs that produce a net benefit of $188,900,000 to our economy each year due to just waterways ecotourism. What happens when the mining jobs leave, and the environmental devastation mines can produce leaves us with less year-on-end jobs and economic benefit? Are we really willing to sell our long-term well-being for short-term jobs gain?
Sources:
TAKE ACTION! Learn more about what you can do to defend the Patagonias against these mining companies and their myths: