Summary of Mining Plans of Operation in Arizona.
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Currently on file with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) are 403 mining plans and notices filed by 53 companies and 27 individuals, encompassing a total estimated area of 34,766 acres of BLM-managed public land in Arizona. These plans and notices are filed on public land laden with gold, silver, copper and other precious metals and minerals worth billions of dollars. And these operations are only those on BLM lands, not on Forest Service lands, for which mining plans and notices are not entered into the government's LR2000 database that forms the backbone of this site. But whether the mines are on BLM or Forest Service land, none of the corporate revenue is reimbursed to the public. Instead, companies leave behind unfathomable amounts of waste. In 2001 alone, the industry dumped enough mercury nationally to fill a billion thermometers and arsenic in quantities that would pollute all public drinking water supplies for 350 years. In 2001, mines generated 45 percent of all pollution reported in the U.S. while accounting for just 0.36 percent of all industrial facilities.
| Quick facts about mining plans on BLM land in Arizona |
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• Acres of U.S. public land (BLM land only) under mining plans and notices, estimated: 34,766 • Foreign-owned corporations among top BLM land mine operators: 2 of 10 • Pollution from all US mining operations, ranking among all U.S. industries: : #1 in total toxic releases • Pollution from top 89 mines in US: 5 times pollution from entire U.S. chemical industry (3,600 plants) • Western water polluted by mine waste: 40 percent of Western headwaters • Proposed mining operations that have been blocked by the Department of Interior because they posed a risk to public health or the environment: None • Other land uses that supercede rights of mining companies to operate on public lands: None |
EWG analysis of data compiled by the Bureau of Land Management. |
Top Mining Plan/Notice Companies/Individuals on BLM land in Arizona Ranked by Acres Affected
Companies have been consolidated to account for subsidiaries. View this table without consolidation.
| Company/Individual | Headquarters | Number of Mining Plans & Notices on BLM land | Estimated Acreage | Plan Date(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Phelps Dodge Mining Co | Phoenix, AZ | 19 | 28,962 | 1981 to 1996 |
| 2 | White Cliffs Mining Inc | Tucson, AZ | 1 | 1,120 | 1999 |
| 3 | ASARCO, a subsidiary of Grupo Mexico | World HQ in Mexico | 7 | 648 | 1989 to 1999 |
| 4 | Azco Mica Inc | Glendale, AZ | 1 | 543 | 1999 |
| 5 | J&B Mining Co Inc | Los Angeles, CA | 1 | 400 | 0 |
| 6 | WMC Resources Limited | World HQ in Australia | 5 | 244 | 1996 to 2003 |
| 7 | Western Gypsum | St George, UT | 3 | 244 | 1996 to 1997 |
| 8 | Western Sterling | Quartzsite, AZ | 2 | 213 | 1988 to 1990 |
| 9 | Cliff B Freeman | Phoenix, AZ | 3 | 166 | 0 |
| 10 | Arizona Gypsum Holdings LLC | Las Vegas, NV | 1 | 130 | 1984 |
| See all plan/notice holders in Arizona | |||||
Counties in Arizona Ranked by Acres Affected by Plans and Notices
| County | Number of Mining Plans & Notices on BLM land | Estimated Acreage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Graham County | 13 | 26,995 | details | map |
| 2 | Pinal County | 21 | 1,995 | details | map |
| 3 | La Paz County | 108 | 1,882 | details | map |
| 4 | Yavapai County | 51 | 1,126 | details | map |
| 5 | Mohave County | 134 | 1,097 | details | map |
| 6 | Pima County | 5 | 479 | details | map |
| 7 | Cochise County | 7 | 441 | details | map |
| 8 | Gila County | 7 | 373 | details | map |
| 9 | Maricopa County | 18 | 202 | details | map |
| 10 | Yuma County | 34 | 117 | details | map |
| See all counties | |||||
Examples of Mines in Arizona
| Name of Mine | Location of Mine | Mine Status | Metal Mined | Owner or Parent Company of Owner |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Safford | Graham County, AZ | Proposed | Copper | Phelps Dodge |
| Johnson Camp Mine | Cochise County, AZ | Suspended | Copper Ore | Nord Copper Corporation |
| Miami Copper (sx-ew) Mine | Gila County, AZ | Closed | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| Copper Queen Branch Mine | Cochise County, AZ | Closed | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| Ray Copper Mine | Pinal County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Asarco |
| Silver Bell Copper (sw-ex) | Pima County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Asarco |
| Equatorial Mineral Park Inc | Mohave County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Equatorial Mining Limited |
| Pinto Valley | Gila County, AZ | Closed | Copper Ore | Bhp Billiton |
| Sierrita Copper Mine | Pima County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| Bagdad Copper Mine | Yavapai County, AZ | Open | Copper Ore | Phelps Dodge |
| See more mines in Arizona | ||||
Source: EWG analysis.