Environmentalists sue over Arizona critical minerals mine in federal fast-track program

Environmental groups are challenging the Hermosa zinc project in Arizona, the first mine approved under a federal expedited permitting program designed to accelerate domestic mineral extraction.

First covered Sep 29, 2026 · 3:17 PM PT · 1 article

Environmentalists sue over Arizona critical minerals mine in federal fast-track program — Image via insideclimatenews.org

Coverage

2h Inside Climate News Environmentalists Sue Federal Agencies Over Nation’s First Fast-Tracked Critical Minerals Mine — In the foothills of southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains, atop so-called critical minerals such as zinc, is South32’s Hermosa project.

Primary sources

biologicaldiversity.org Final.Hermosa.Complaint.09.28.2026 (biologicaldiversity.org)

More coverage from around the web

ktar.com South32 Hermosa in Arizona clears final U.S. mining permit - KTAR.com

legalinsurrection.com Arizona’s Hermosa Mine Clears Final Federal Hurdle Under FAST-41

news.azpm.org Arizona court upholds Hermosa Mine’s water discharge standards ...

tucson.com Southern Arizona mine's quick approval worries jaguar advocates

mining.com South32 breaks decade-long US permit curse at Arizona project - ...

Appeared in: 2026-09-30 (#6)

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