United States Forest 

USDA Department of Service 

-Atli Agriculture 

Coronado National Forest 

Supervisor's Office 

300 W. Congress 

Tucson, Arizona 85701 

Phone (520) 388-8300 

FAX (520) 388-8305 

Deaf & Hearing Impaired 711 

File Code: 2810/1950 

Date: December 13, 2013 

Dear Interested Party, 

I am writing to inform you that I have prepared the Final Environmental Impact Statement 

(FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the Rosemont Copper Project. This letter is 

intended to provide a brief background of the project and then advise eligible parties of the 

opportunity to object to the project and to describe the process and timelines involved in 

objection process. 

Background 

In July 2007, Rosemont Copper submitted a preliminary mining plan of operations (MPO) to the 

Coronado National Forest requesting approval to construct, operate, reclaim, and close an openpit mine on and adjacent to NFS lands for development of the Rosemont ore deposit. This 

project area is located about 30 miles south of Tucson, Arizona. It is on approximately 995 acres 

of private land owned by Rosemont Copper Company, 3,670 acres of Forest Service System 

lands, and 75 acres of Arizona State Land Department lands. The Rosemont Copper Project 

consists of the development of an open pit mine, ore processing plant, waste disposal facilities, 

access roads and utility corridors. The operation would produce concentrates of copper, 

molybdenum, and silver. The life of the operation, including construction, operation, reclamation 

and closure, is approximately 24.5 to 30 years. 

The Forest Service's review of the 2007 preliminary MPO identified the need for additional 

information. In February 2008, a supplemental preliminary MPO was accepted for 

environmental review by the Coronado National Forest. Since then, the Forest Service has 

worked diligently to process the request in a timely manner while ensuring compliance with 

regulation, policy and direction. Furthermore, the Forest Service has worked closely with the 

proponent, cooperating agencies, many different organizations, special interest groups, and with 

the general public to ensure all comments were considered throughout the National 

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review. 

The draft EIS was released on October 19, 2011 followed by a comment period through January 

31, 2012. Seven open public meetings were held early in the public comment period to provide 

information on the draft EIS and solicit public comment. In addition, oral and written comments 

were accepted throughout the public involvement period. Over 25,000 submissions were 

received during this public comment period. 

Comments received on the draft EIS have been considered in preparation of the final EIS and 

draft Record of Decision. In addition, the Forest Service has continued to work closely with 

cooperating and regulatory agencies in fine-tuning the proposal, improving impact analysis, and 

developing mitigation and monitoring measures. To date, the Rosemont Copper proposal has 

been one of the largest and most complex projects undertaken by the Forest Service. 

Caring for the Land and Serving People Printed on Recyded Paper 
The FEIS and draft ROD are available for review online on the project website at 

http://www.rosemonteis.us . These documents are also available for viewing electronically 

(DVD) and in hard copy at all of the Coronado National Forest offices and at select libraries 

throughout the area. For a complete list of locations containing both electronic and hard copies, 

please visit the project website or contact the Forest Service at 520-388-8300. 

Objection Process 

Unresolved concerns about the FEIS and the draft ROD for the Rosemont Copper Project will be 

addressed through a new objection process recently implemented by the Forest Service. Rather 

than seeking higher-level review of unresolved concerns after a project decision has been made, 

those who are eligible will be able to seek that review before the project decision has been 

signed. We believe that considering public concerns before a decision is made aligns with our 

collaborative approach to public land management and increases the likelihood of resolving 

those concerns resulting in better, more informed decisions. 

In order to file an objection, you must have previously submitted specific comments regarding 

the proposed project in accordance with regulations at 36 CFR 218.5(a). Written comments are 

those submitted to the responsible official or designee during the designated opportunity for 

public participation provided for the proposed project. Written comments could include 

submission of transcriptions or other notes from oral statements or presentation. 

Objections must be submitted within 45 calendar days following the publication of this notice in 

the Arizona Daily Star. The publication date in this newspaper of record is the exclusive means 

for calculating the time to file an objection. It should be noted that the regulations prohibit 

extending the time to file an objection. All objections are available for public inspection during 

and after the objection process. 

Objections, including attachments, must be filed via mail, fax, email, hand-delivery, express 

delivery, or messenger service (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., excluding 

holidays). Electronically filed objections may be submitted by email in word (.doc), rich text 

format (stf), text (.txt), and hypertext markup language (.html). Please submit your objections to 

the Regional Forester at: 

Mail: Southwestern Region Phone: 505-842-3292 

333 Broadway SE TTY: 505-842-3198 

Albuquerque, NM 87102 Fax: 505-842-3110 

Email: objections-southwestern-regional-office@fs.fed.us 

Per regulations at 36 CFR 218.8(d), an objection must include (at a minimum) the following: 

• the objector's name and address, with a telephone number, if available; 

• a signature or other verification of authorship upon request (a scanned signature for email 

may be filed with the objection); 

• identification of the lead objector when multiple names are listed on an objection 

(verification of the identity of the lead objector shall be provided upon request); 

• the name of the proposed project (Rosemont Copper), the name and title of the 

Responsible Official (Jim Upchurch), and the name(s) of the National Forest(s) and/or 

Ranger District(s) on which the proposed project will be implemented (Coronado 

National Forest, Nogales Ranger District); 

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• a description of those aspects of the proposed project addressed by the objection, 

including specific issues related to the proposed project if applicable, how the objector 

believes the environmental analysis or draft decision specifically violates law, regulation, 

or policy; suggested remedies that would resolve the objection; supporting reasons for the 

reviewing officer to consider. Please note, incorporation of documents by reference is 

permitted only as provided in §218.8(b); 

• a statement that demonstrates connection between prior specific written comments on the 

particular proposed project or activity and the content of the objection. Issues raised in 

objections must be based on timely, specific comments regarding the proposed project, 

unless based on new information arising after the designated comment opportunities. 

Thank you for your interest in the Rosemont Copper Project. 

Sincerely, 

PCH CH 

Supe isor 

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