Goldwater Institute weighs in on Florence copper mine
“The Phoenix-based Goldwater Institute has asked Pinal County Superior Court to dismiss an attempt by the town of Florence to acquire a mine through eminent domain.
The Florence Town Council voted last year to take more than 1,000 acres from Curis Resources, which plans to operate a copper mine north of downtown Florence at the foot of Poston Butte. Curis has filed a motion to dismiss the claim in court.
The area is not zoned for mining, although it once was, and a previous owner operated a test mine on the site. The Florence council opposes the mine for fear the mining technique will pollute groundwater.
Rather than dig for copper, Curis plans to pump sulfuric acid underground where it will leach copper from the ore, and then pump the solution back to the surface to process the metal.
The Goldwater Institute — which has a track record of providing legal aid to companies from tattoo parlors to salons offering fish pedicures — does not take a position on whether Florence Copper has the right to mine on the property. The institute asserts that the town does not have the right to take the company’s land because it opposes the mine.”
Randazzo, Ryan. AZ Central 8 August 2014.