A U.S. appeals court has temporarily blocked the transfer of federal forest land in Arizona to a pair of international companies that plan to mine one of the largest copper deposits in North America. <\/p>\n
The transfer was scheduled for Tuesday. But a panel of judges with the 9th U.S. District Court of Appeals issued a temporary injunction late Monday in response to last-minute appeals by a Native American tribe and environmentalists.<\/p>\n
The land includes Oak Flat \u2014 an area used for centuries for religious ceremonies, prayer and gathering of medicinal plants<\/a> by the San Carlos Apache people and other Native American tribes.<\/p>\n The tribe celebrated the pause. But President Donald Trump in a social media post said delaying the transfer by months will affect those people who are depending on new jobs and the nation\u2019s ability to access copper domestically. He blamed \u201cradical left activists.\u201d<\/p>\n The fight over Oak Flat has spanned two decades, with the latest legal wrangling<\/a> centered on a required environmental review that was released by the U.S. Forest Service earlier this summer and an appraisal of the land to be mined by Resolution Copper about 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of Phoenix. <\/p>\n Before the land exchange can happen, the plaintiffs argued that the federal government must prepare a comprehensive review that covers \u201cevery aspect of the planned mine and all related infrastructure.\u201d They said the government failed to consider the potential for a dam breach, pipeline failure and if there was an emergency plan for a tailings storage area.<\/p>\n As for the appraisal, they said it doesn\u2019t account for the value of the copper deposits that are at least 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) below the surface.<\/p>\n The appeals court plans to hear arguments on the merits of the case later this year.<\/p>\n Opponents of the mine say their prayers are paying off.<\/p>\n \u201cThis injunction comes in a desperate time of asking for miracles, all over the country and all over the world,\u201d Wendsler Nosie Sr. of the group Apache Stronghold said in a statement shared on social media.<\/p>\n Nosie, a former tribal chairman, described the land and water at Oak Flat as precious.<\/p>\n Apache Stronghold, the San Carlos Apache Tribe and other plaintiffs having been fighting for years<\/a> to save what tribal members call Chi\u2019chil Bildagoteel. The area is dotted with oak groves and traditional plants the Apaches consider essential to their religion. <\/p>\n \u201cWe will continue praying that the court understands the grave injustice of trading our sacred grounds to foreign mining companies that seek to destroy Ch\u00ed\u2019chil Bi\u0142dagoteel to extract copper that will be exported overseas,\u201d Tribal Chairman Terry Rambler said in statement.<\/p>\n