Supporters come out for Sterlite's bid for Asarco

The battle over who will win control of Asarco has spread out of the bankruptcy court and into the political and public relations arenas.

On Monday, State Representatives Pete Rios, [left] D-Dudleyville and Barbara McGuire, D-Kearny [right] held a press conference along with Pinal and Gila county supervisors and the mayor of Hayden to support Sterlite's offer, and to oppose returning Asarco to Grupo Mexico's ownership.

Yesterday, Steelworkers demonstrated at the Asarco Ray mine, saying hundreds of workers would leave their jobs if Grupo Mexico took control of the company.

This counters announcements by ranking members of the U.S. Congress' Judiciary Committee who recently raised concerns about Sterlite's environmental stewardship, echoing similar statements by local reps Raul Grijalva and Gabrielle Giffords.