Coils, coiled copper wires, lie on pallets in the wire plant (coiler) at Aurubis AG.
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U.S. President Donald Trump has slammed an appeals court decision to temporarily block a land transfer needed by mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP to develop what is slated to become one of the country’s biggest copper mines.
In a post on social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, Trump said the latest setback to Arizona’s Resolution Copper mine would impact thousands of jobs at a time when the world’s largest economy “quite simply, needs Copper — AND NOW!”
His comments came shortly after he met the chief executives of Rio Tinto and BHP at the White House, alongside Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.
Two of the world’s largest mining firms, Rio Tinto and BHP have been trying to develop the Arizona copper project together for roughly two decades, but the procedures have been beset by legal issues.
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday issued a temporary restraining order to prevent a land transfer while the court considers challenges that have been brought by opponents including the San Carlos Apache Tribe, which is seeking to block the project over religious, cultural and environmental reasons.
“It is so sad that Radical Left Activists can do this, and affect the lives of so many people. Those that fought it are Anti-American, and representing other Copper competitive Countries,” Trump said in a Truth Social post.
Members of the Native American group Apache Stronghold hold protest cards ahead of formally asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn an earlier ruling allowing Rio Tinto to develop the Resolution Copper mine in Arizona, outside the court in Washington, U.S., September 11, 2024.
Piroschka Van De Wouw | Reuters
Resolution Copper described the Monday ruling as “merely a temporary pause,” adding it was confident the court would ultimately affirm the necessary land transfer.
“This proposed mine is a rip-off, will destroy a sacred area, decimates our environment, threatens our water rights, and is bad for America,” Terry Rambler, chairman of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, said in a Facebook post.
Addressing Trump’s Truth Social post on the recent court ruling, Rambler said the U.S. president’s comments “mirror misinformation that has been repeated by foreign mining interests that want to extract American copper.”
He added that he was willing to meet with the Trump administration to help “protect American interests.”
Copper demand
The Arizona copper project is a proposed underground mine roughly 60 miles east of Phoenix, close to the the town of Superior. The joint venture is 55% owned by Rio Tinto and 45% by BHP.
Resolution Copper says the ore deposit represents “one of the most significant untapped copper deposits today” and estimates the potential for the project to add $1 billion a year to Arizona’s economy.
A highly conducive metal, copper is a critical component to virtually everything in the modern economy, from solar panels and wind turbines to defense applications and artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Demand for copper is expected to skyrocket over the coming years, dramatically outstripping supply amid a transition to a low-carbon world.
In a LinkedIn post, BHP CEO Mike Henry thanked Trump and Burgum for “for their strong leadership to reinvigorate mining and processing supply chains in and for America.”
Alongside Rio Tinto CEO Jakob Stausholm and the company’s incoming CEO Simon Trott, BHP’s Henry said they met with Trump and Burgum to underscore the firm’s commitment to develop Resolution Copper.