Costa Rican Dry and Wet Rain Forest

Rosemont mine proposal in the scenic Santa Rita mountains

Usually I have no quarrel with how private individuals conduct their business, but when their business affects my health and well-being I must speak up. Even the most casual freeway observer cannot help but note the monumental destruction wrought by mining in Southern Arizona. For those who live here, that scenic desecration is compounded by polluted water and air. Arsenic groundwater contamination has ruined much of our already scarce aquifers. Every time the wind blows I can see billowing clouds coming off the Sierita Mountain mines and I can feel it in my lungs and eyes.

I don't usually object to other people's business, but when that business gums up my vision and chokes my breath, I must speak up. The owners of the proposed Rosemont mine promise that their business will be different, that it will not have such ill effects, but the evidence of history speaks otherwise. Let's see the mining companies fix the mess they've already made before we even consider letting them make another one.