ACTION ALERT
Oak Flat, Arizona Land Exchange Bills Introduced
On May 25, 2005, Arizona's Senator Kyl and Congressman Renzi introduced identical land exchange bills into Congress moving Resolution Copper Company (RCC) one step closer to destroying the publicly-owned Oak Flat area East of Phoenix resulting in the single largest loss of climbing ever.
These bills value the profits of a foreign mining company and discount a more responsible approach to environmental, as well as the recreational and health concerns of Arizonans and the many others who recreate at Oak Flat. Despite many promises of compromise these bills will allow RCC to push ahead with the destruction of Oak Flat and surrounding areas if they are passed without revision.
Don't wait for Oak Flat to be destroyed to voice your opposition. A loss of climbing in Arizona is a loss of climbing no matter where you live.
Your voice WILL make a difference and must be heard to stop these dangerous precedent-setting bills from passing unamended (click HERE for letter writing template).
There is a blank “placeholder” provision in the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2005 (SECTION 8(b)(4)) meant to address the preservation and replacement of climbing resources. Call Congress and tell them that provision must provide for the protection of climbing resources. Deficiencies concerning the lack of a recreational easement and omission of discussion of federally-protected land in these bills make it clear that compromise will only come by applying pressure to our elected officials.
Find Senate version S. 1122 here
Find House version H.R. 2618 here
Deficiencies and omissions in the bills:
- There is no language maintaining any public access to the Oak Flat area.
- The bills fail to specifically identify any “replacement” climbing areas.
- The bills only direct the US Department of Agriculture to identify and develop alternate climbing sites on public land . Anyone could at anytime develop these public areas.
- Despite much discussion and promises from RCC, the bills fail to require RCC to provide any “replacement” climbing areas. Nonetheless, RCC has hired climbers to develop as-yet unidentified replacement climbing sites without any climbing community input.
- The land exchange bills provide no acknowledgement that Oak Flat has been federally protected from mining for over 50 years by executive order. This order – PLO 1229 – is still as valid today as it was in 1955. Oversight of this fact shows that the profits of a foreign mining company (RCC) outweigh recreation loss, environmental impact, and community interest.
- The bills were drafted through a closed process showing disregard for the public interest.
- There is no statement of water resource use, acquisition or disposal for the proposed mine at Oak Flat.
- No discussion of the enormous environmental and recreational loss, mountains of mining tailings, and associated pollution caused by this mine.
- The bills fail to require any environmental analyses under the National Environmental Policy Act which could consider the long-term implications of this massive proposed mine.
NOW IS THE TIME TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD.
There is still time to make a difference. Over the next several weeks Congress needs to be convinced to specifically address this enormous loss to the climbing community, the environment, and other recreational users.
Let your elected officials know that the loss to the environment and the community will be the legacy of all politicians that vote for this version of these bills. click HERE for letter writing template.
Write US Senator Kyl (R-AZ), US Representative Rick Renzi (R-AZ), and your Congressional representatives today ( to find yours click here ) and urge them to require Resolution Copper Company (RCC) to work with the Access Fund and Friends of Queen Creek to mitigate the loss of the unique public recreational resource at Oak Flat. For talking points addressing the bills' many problems, a Congressional letter-writing template, and the addresses of your US Senators and Representatives, click here . Make sure to reference the bill number (S. 1122 for Senate communications and H.R. 2618 for the House) and emphasize the following points for insertion into the blank placeholder climbing provision:
- The land exchange bill must include language that conserves climbing opportunities at Oak Flat and environs; and
- The land exchange bill must specifically identify any replacement climbing areas.
The Access Fund and Friends of Queen Creek have consistently pushed for responsible mining techniques at Oak Flat that will allow RCC to make a profit while still maintaining some public access to Oak Flat and environs.
Help make the case to Congress and write them today – you won't get another chance to help Arizona climbers conserve central Arizona's most extensive climbing area.
For more information contact the Access Fund's Policy Director Jason Keith at jason@accessfund.org
If the above links do not work, copy and paste below URLs:
Senate version S. 1122: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:S.1122:
House version H.R. 2618: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c109:H.R.2618:
http://thomas.loc.gov/ and enter S. 1122 for Senate bill and H.R. 2618 for House bill in Search window
Letter writing template and talking points: http://accessfund.org/display/page/AA/5
Congressional addresses: http://www.congress.org/congressorg/dbq/officials/?lvl=L