Some while ago two Republican senators, John McCain and Jeff Flake, pushed Congress and the president into giving away what could amount to over $130 billion worth of copper under the ground in Tonto National Forest – public land in Arizona. The giveaway was sneaked into the massive Defense Authorization Bill. There are approximately 23.5 million tons of copper sitting under this four square miles of public property in Tonto National Forest.
Rio Tinto Zinc (British) and BHP Billiton (Australian), two of the largest mining companies in the world, (capitalizaton of $200 billion), formed a joint company called Resolution Copper Mining LLC to mine the copper. Instead of a public auction (if you believe at all in getting rid of a hunk of National Park), the land is being handing over to Resolution Copper in return for other, worthless land they own.
The Defense Authorization bill is a “must-pass” bill, like appropriation bills and debt ceiling bills. It has passed Congress, and been signed into law by the president, fifty-three years in a row.
The good news: The land happens to be an old Native American burial ground!
There are more steps Resolution Copper has to navigate before it gets its bonanza, including an environmental impact study. But the point is: “Why is national parkland being given away and despoiled, and how can congressmen get away with it?
Wouldn’t it be interesting to be able to follow the money that will (?) flow for election expenses to the Republican party from these giant mining companies? Unfortunately, we can’t – all such donations are secret. Epicurus would probably comment that that was why he found politics and politicians distasteful.
This all sounds very shady to me, I hope it doesn’t pass until all of the checks and approvals have been completed. Its the sort of thing the ‘checks and balances’ nature of the constitution was meant to prevent, but sadly that doesn’t seem to be happening.
On a slightly different note, why give this copper away when you can sell it at a handsome profit, then use the money for environmental protection schemes and infrastructure upgrades? Congress seems to be getting ever more stupid by the day.