The next meeting of the Empire-Fagan Coalition will take place in August. We will advise you regarding the time and place.
Please join us in our fight to preserve the Empire-Fagan valley!
Rally to Save Highway 83
Our Coalition has teamed up with Save the Scenic Santa Ritas to sponsor a motorcycle rally on Sunday March 2nd. The "poker hand" rally will make five stops at critical mining danger spots between Sonoita and Vail.
Victory Cycles of Tucson and Montgomery's in Vail have generously supported this benefit. For more information, please visit The Rally 83 Website
Join the Fight
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Current Action Items:
1. Continue to contact the governor's office and state and federal legislators regarding your opposition to the mining operations.
2. Send a letter to the Bureau of Land Management requesting to be notified regarding the Environmental Assessment (EA) process for Cal-Portland in the Davidson Canyon. Contact: Linda Marianito, BLM Tucson Field Office, 12661 E. Broadway, Tucson, AZ 85748. linda_marianito@blm.gov
3. Send a letter to the Corps of Engineers letting them know that you would like to be notified of the public comment period for the 404 permitting process for the California Portland lease in Davidson Canyon, once the application is re-submitted by AZ Portland Cement in Davidson Canyon -California Portland. Contact: Marjorie Blaine, Army Corps. of Engineers, 520-584-1684. marjorie.e.blaine@usace.army.mil This project is submitted under Arizona Portland Cement in Davidson Canyon. Ms. Blaine said that the more letters/emails the better.
4. Write to ADOT expressing your concern about the effects of the mining trucks on the safety and infrastructure of Highway 83. Contact: District Engineer Greg Gentsch, 1221 S. 2nd Ave., Tucson, AZ 85713. ggentsch@azdot.gov
5. Send in your comments on the proposed Rosemont Copper Project. Comments may be emailed to comments-southwestern-coronado@fs.fed.us, faxed to 520-388- 8305 ATTN: Rosemont Team Leader, or mailed to:
USDA Forest Service
Coronado National Forest
300 West Congress Street
Tucson, AZ 85701
County Drops Suit Against State
[Tucson, February 12, 2008] Hopes for a legal victory were deflated today when the Pima County Board of Supervisors dropped the suit against the State Land Department. Previously, in a tactical victory for the Coalition and Pima County, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Douglas Rayes ruled that Pima County has the right to pursue its lawsuit against the State Land Department to stop the Davidson Canyon mine.
However, recent rulings by the court had made proceeding with the case virtually impossible, according to County Administrator Huckelberry. The Coalition has since shifted gears, and is pursuing alternative options to block production in Davidson Canyon.
Davidson Canyon Debate Sparks Interest
Two of the Coalition's three target sites reside in Davidson Canyon. The sensitive nature of this area is no secret -- the Canyon is a tributary to Las Cienegas Preserve, and is currently under County review as a candidate for "Unique Waters" designation.
So the prospect of two open-pit limestone quarries spanning the canyon has captured media attention -- if not their ire! Recently Bob Lee of KTTU-TV Tucson devoted 30 minutes to the issues in his Sunday morning "In Focus" series. And Kimberly Clarke featured the Coalition's work in an Arizona Illustrated piece. [view]
Andrada Approval Reversed
[Washington D,C., August 10, 2007] In a major victory for the Empire-Fagan Coalition, the IBLA (Interior Bureau of Land Affairs) reversed the BLM's approval of the Andrada Quarry Plan of Operations and Environmental Assessment. Two months previously the federal panel had issued a stay of all activity on BLM lands at the Andrada site, pending an appeal filed on behalf of the Coalition by the Western Mining Action Project.
