A federal court judge has upheld a record of decision issued by the U.S. Forest Service for the Carlota copper project in central Arizona, allowing owner Cambior to move one step closer to a production decision.
Four environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the Mineral Policy Center, and two local organizations filed separate lawsuits after the Forest Service issued the record of decision in July 1997.
The suits were combined into one case in May 1998, alleging that the Forest Service violated provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act.
The court ruled in favour of the Forest Service in mid-August, giving the plaintiffs eight weeks to file an appeal.
Cambior now has all major permits necessary for construction of the US$100-million project. However, the company will not make a production decision until the price of copper increases.
Situated in the Globe-Miami district, Carlota is an open-pit project with reserves of 95.9 million tonnes grading 0.44% copper. Heap leaching and solvent extraction-electrowinning are expected to produce 35,000 tonnes of copper cathode at a cash operating cost of US49 cents per lb.
The company has spent more than US$50 million developing the project, which it acquired in 1991.
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