Public meetings rescheduled on Rosemont copper mine EIS

This announcement just in from the U.S. Forest Service:

Two public meetings regarding the Rosemont Copper Project Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will be rescheduled. The first and last meetings, scheduled to be held at the Desert Diamond Conference Center in Sahuarita, Arizona on October 22 and January 7, have been postponed and will be rescheduled.

The Coronado National Forest will soon accept public comments on the DEIS in a variety of formats. Six public meetings have been scheduled for informational and comment sessions.
Since the original planning for the meetings, it has come to Forest personnel’s attention that several meetings scheduled conflict with local events occurring on the same dates. To prevent
potential conflicts, the Forest is rescheduling meetings as needed.

The October 22 meeting, in Sahuarita, will be rescheduled to avoid potential conflicts with the National Park Service, Saguaro National Park’s BioBlitz, a major event with widespread community and interagency involvement. (Coronado National Forest volunteers will be among those who participate in the event.) To avoid potential conflicts for citizens who wish to attend the BioBlitz event and also participate in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process regarding the Rosemont Copper Project DEIS, the meeting will be rescheduled at a later date, to be announced.

The January 7 meeting, in Sahuarita, will be rescheduled to avoid potential conflicts with the daylong "Beyond" event to commemorate and celebrate those injured and lost on January 8, 2011 in Tucson. (The event includes activities at various locations including the Sabino Canyon
Recreation Area on the Coronado National Forest.) With respect for the victims and those
affected by what transpired that day, and to avoid potential conflicts for those who wish to
participate in the Beyond event and the NEPA process regarding the Rosemont Copper Project
DEIS, the Coronado will reschedule the meeting at a later date, to be announced.

The November 5 public meeting in Elgin, Arizona has already been rescheduled to December 10
to avoid potential conflicts with the Empire Ranch Foundation’s 11th Annual Roundup in Sonoita
Arizona.

The DEIS is available online at www.RosemontEIS.us . Citizens are encouraged to review this
document before submitting comments. Although comments may be submitted in many ways,
citizens need only provide comments once for them to receive full consideration. The 90-day
comment period is expected to begin on October 22, following publication of the Environmental
Protection Agency’s Notice of Availability of the DEIS in the Federal Register.

The Coronado National Forest is planning to host the following public meetings to share
information about and take comments on the DEIS. Each meeting will include both
informational sessions and comment sessions. Oral statements made during the comment session will be recorded. Written comments will also be taken at the meetings. Citizens do not need to be present at any meetings to comment on the DEIS. Requirements for commenting may be found at 36 Code of Federal Regulations Part 215.

October 22, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. TO BE RESCHEDULED

November 12, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Palo Verde High School, 1302 S. Avenida Vega, Tucson, AZ

November 19, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Empire High School, 10701 E. Mary Ann Cleveland Way, Tucson, AZ

December 7, 2011, 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Benson High School, 360 S. Patagonia Street, Benson, AZ

December 10, 2011, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Elgin Elementary School, 23 Elgin Rd., Elgin, AZ

January 7, 2012, 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. TO BE RESCHEDULED

Brief oral comments can be made by calling toll-free (888) 654-6646.
Comments may be submitted electronically on the project website at www.RosemontEIS.us by
following the link to “Commenting on the DEIS.”

Written comments may be mailed to: Rosemont Comments, P.O. Box 4207, Logan, UT 84323.
Written comments may also be submitted by facsimile to (435) 750-8799 and by electronic mail
(e-mail) to CoronadoNF@RosemontEIS.us . The subject line of facsimiles and e-mails should
include the words “Rosemont Copper Project DEIS”. E-mail attachments should be in Word
(.docx), rich-text format (.rtf), or portable document format (.pdf).

For questions or special needs regarding the public meetings or the comment period, the public
may call (520) 388-8300 voice or (520) 388-8304 TTY.

Additional information about the Rosemont Copper Project DEIS is available online at
www.RosemontEIS.us .