Resolution Copper to Cut 400 Jobs

Resolution Copper Company has announced that  it will suspend shaft and drilling work at its Superior operation and eliminate about 400 jobs. They say the cuts are the result of continued uncertainty around a proposed land exchange.

The Casa Grande Dispatch reports that the cuts amount to about 75% of Resolution’s workforce. Resolution says it can’t  continue without the land exchange, which would give the company  ownership of 2,400 acres of national forest land.

Opponents say the layoff announcement is a ploy to pressure Congress to pass the land exchange bill.

Those opposing the land swap include conservationists and Native American groups, as well as the Obama administration and many Democratic lawmakers. They say an environmental review should be completed before the exchange is made. They also claim  that under Arizona’s 1872 Mining Law,  the mining company would not have to pay royalties to the US government for mineral rights that could be worth billions of dollars.

Native American groups say sacred lands and cultural artifacts would be displaced by the mine.