Kyl speaks before Senate panel on land swap

by Jerry Kammer - Jul. 10, 2008 12:00 AM
Republic Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON - There is "virtual total unanimity among the leaders of the state of Arizona" in support of a proposed land exchange near Superior sought by the Resolution Copper Co., Sen. Jon Kyl said Wednesday.

He urged quick action on the bill he is sponsoring to close the deal.

Testifying before the Senate Public Lands and Forests Subcommittee, the Arizona Republican said the federal land the company would receive includes a copper find "that is almost unsurpassed, perhaps in the history of the United States."

He said a mine there would bring enormous economic benefit to an area that has struggled since the nearby Magma Mine closed in 1996.

But Shan Lewis, president of the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, opposed the bill, citing concerns about damage to lands that are culturally significant to the San Carlos Apache Tribe, including the massive escarpment overlooking Superior known as Apache Leap.

Lewis, vice chairman of the Fort Mojave Tribe, said Resolution Copper Co. is owned by two foreign companies, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. Lewis urged the panel to "resist being pressured into giving these foreign entities such incredible rights to land and resources."

Resolution Copper President David Salisbury said the mine would meet 20 percent of the nation's copper demand for about 50 years. He also projected that operations would generate 1,400 jobs.

Kyl said the demand for copper would "increase exponentially" as the U.S. auto market moves toward hybrid cars, which use far more copper wiring than conventional cars.

Kyl's bill would direct the secretary of Agriculture to transfer to the company 3,025 acres. The 5,500 acres the federal government would receive in return include environmentally sensitive land along the lower San Pedro River near Mammoth, a parcel adjacent to the Las Cienegas National Conservation area near Sonoita, and land within the Dripping Springs area near Kearny.

If the bill passes the Senate, action would switch to the House Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Lands. That panel's chairman is Arizona Democrat Rep. Raul Grijalva, who has expressed sympathy for the concerns raised by Indian tribes and environmentalists.

Roger Featherstone, a Tucson resident who represents the environmental group Earthworks, told the Senate panel the Kyl bill was "the height of special interest legislation."

Featherstone, who said he also was representing the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon chapter, said the Interior Department has a "bad record in valuing public lands" and ensuring that taxpayers get fair return for exchanged lands.

The Resolution Copper land proposal achieved national notoriety in February when Arizona Rep Rick.

Renzi was indicted on charges of attempting to pressure the company into buying land from a former business partner who owed him money. Renzi wanted the company to offer the land as part of the exchange with the federal government, officials said.

No deal was concluded, however. The company said in a news release that it "has cooperated with the U.S. Attorney's Office and other federal agencies since the early stages of this investigation."