Press Releases

October 7, 2008 News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

U.S. INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICT RESOLUTION TO ASSIST IN CONVENING
OF A PUBLIC PARTICIPATION PROCESS FOR THE PROPOSED ROSEMONT MINE IN THE SANTA RITA MOUNTAINS

At the invitation of the Coronado National Forest, the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution (U.S. Institute) has agreed to convene and facilitate a citizen working group to contribute to the analysis of public comments that have been received by the U.S. Forest Service in response to the proposed Rosemont Mine in the Santa Rita Mountains approximately 30 miles southeast of Tucson, Arizona. Recently, the U.S. Forest Service, several citizens' groups, and the Council on Environmental Quality contacted the U.S. Institute about enhancing public dialogues regarding the proposal of the Rosemont Copper Company, a subsidiary of the Augusta Resource Corporation, to use approximately 3,400 acres of National Forest land for an open-pit mine and related ore processing facilities.

The U.S. Institute is a federal program established in 1998 by the U.S. Congress to assist parties in resolving environmental, natural resource and public land conflicts. Since its creation, the U.S. Institute has been involved in hundreds of environmental issues around the country, including numerous projects involving the Forest Service. In this matter, the U.S. Institute will work with the public and representatives of interested stakeholder groups to design an independent, transparent process to increase public participation in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process, a law that requires federal decision-makers to consider how federal actions may impact the human environment. The goal is to assist the Forest Service by organizing public commentary in a manner that will maximize its impact on the decision making process as the Service considers and addresses concerns expressed in the public comments it has received regarding the mine proposal.

The U.S. Institute has contracted the services of a third-party neutral, Carie Fox of Fox Mediation in Portland, Oregon, to facilitate this process. Fox will work with Larry Fisher, Senior Program Manager for the Public Lands Sector at the U.S. Institute, to convene and document the working group's deliberations and analysis. Fox will serve as the lead facilitator and will be the primary contact for the working group. Fisher will provide project management support.

Fox will confer with stakeholders to identify membership and develop ground rules for a working group. The first task for the working group will be to make significant contributions to the analysis of thousands of comments received about the proposed mine. "Comment analysis is not for the faint of heart" admitted Fox, "the working group will be pioneers, which makes it even more challenging. But defining the issues could have big benefits for the transparency and relevance of the Forest Service's eventual decision, because the issues will be the foundation for the agency's analysis. The next task for the working group will be to help with alternatives development, and that won't be quite so grueling," Fox added. Those who have information that would assist Fox in the convening of the working group, or who would like to participate, should contact her at rosemont@foxmediation.com

The U.S. Institute is a program of the Tucson-based Morris K. Udall Foundation, an independent agency of the executive branch overseen by a board of trustees appointed by the President. The Morris K. Udall Foundation was established in 1992 by Congress to honor the late Morris K. Udall's thirty years of service in the House of Representatives. For more information about the Udall Foundation, visit www.udall.gov

The U.S. Institute serves as an impartial, non-partisan institution providing professional expertise, services and resources to all parties involved in environmental disputes. For more information about the U.S. Institute, visit www.ecr.gov

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