US President meets BHP and Rio Tinto chiefs over Arizona copper mine

US President Donald Trump welcomed Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm and incoming CEO Simon Trott, as well as BHP CEO Mike Henry, to the Oval Office on Tuesday to discuss the developments around a vast copper mine project called Resolution Copper.

This came a day after the opponents succeeded in temporarily blocking the project. 

The president called opponents of a huge copper mine in Arizona “radical left activists” in a social media post after the meeting.

The project  — a joint venture owned by international mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP — is set to be one of the biggest copper mines in North America.

President Trump has emphasised the need for more copper production in the US, as the versatile metal is important for the country's mineral security. Copper is key to the energy transition and has many uses, remaining an essential component of electrical circuits, as well as defence and technology products.

The two international mining giants teamed up to develop Resolution Copper after the deposit was discovered two decades ago.

However, Native American tribes and environmentalists have been fighting fiercely ever since, citing religious, cultural and environmental concerns.

After a series of court cases and environmental studies, the companies were set to take over the federal forest land in Arizona on Tuesday when a US appeals court temporarily blocked the transfer, delaying the mining.

The US Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a temporary injunction late on Monday in response to last-minute appeals by a Native American tribe and environmentalists.

The land includes Oak Flat — an area used for centuries for religious ceremonies, prayer and gathering of medicinal plants by the San Carlos Apache people and other Native American tribes. The tribe celebrated the pause.

President Donald Trump, however, called the opponents “Anti-American, and representing other copper competitive countries,” in his post on Truth Social. He also stated that delaying the project would affect thousands of jobs.

A press release from Resolution Copper stated that the companies view this as “merely a temporary pause". The statement added: “We are confident the court will ultimately affirm the district court’s well-reasoned orders explaining in detail why the congressionally directed land exchange satisfies all applicable legal requirements.”

Mike Henry, CEO of BHP, said in a social media post that the project “will create thousands of high-value local jobs in Arizona and billions in economic activity across America”. 

An earlier estimate from Resolution Copper stated that the mine would generate $1 billion (€860 million) a year for Arizona's economy and create thousands of jobs.

A brief history of opposing Resolution Copper

The fight over Oak Flat has spanned two decades, with the latest legal wrangling centred on a required environmental review that was released by the US Forest Service earlier this summer and an appraisal of the land to be mined by Resolution Copper about 60 miles (96 kilometres) east of Phoenix.

Before the land exchange can happen, the plaintiffs argued that the federal government must prepare a comprehensive review that covers "every aspect of the planned mine and all related infrastructure". 

They said the government failed to consider the potential for a dam breach, pipeline failure and if there was an emergency plan for a tailings storage area.

As for the appraisal, they said it did not account for the value of the copper deposits that are at least 5,000 feet (1,500 metres) below the surface.

The appeals court plans to hear arguments on the merits of the case later this year, but no date has been announced yet. 

"This injunction comes in a desperate time of asking for miracles, all over the country and all over the world," Wendsler Nosie Sr. of the group Apache Stronghold said in a statement shared on social media.

Resolution Copper has said the project underwent an extensive review by the US Forest Service that has included consultation with tribes that have ancestral ties to the land.

"The collaborative process has directly led to major changes to the mining plan to preserve and reduce potential impacts on tribal, social, environmental and cultural interests," the company stated.

The Forest Service has argued in court filings that it has no discretion because the land exchange was mandated by Congress when language was included in a must-pass national defence spending bill that was signed into law in 2014 by then-President Barack Obama.

There have been unsuccessful legislative attempts in the years since to withdraw the Oak Flat area from mining activity.