/ Environmental Stewardship

Environmental Stewardship

Caring for the environment is part of how we plan, operate, and close the mine.

Environmental management starts before mining begins and continues through operations and post-closure. As regulations and accepted science evolve, our methods evolve as well. We focus on understanding potential impacts and reducing them wherever possible. We also work with local communities to improve our performance over time.

Air

Mining can generate dust and contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. To protect community air quality, we plan to:

  • Crush rock underground and inside enclosed buildings
  • Store ore stockpiles in covered facilities
  • Use water sprays on roads
  • Install dust-suppressing hoods and enclosures across the operation

We will monitor air quality across an extensive network. Data will be compared against U.S. Environmental Protection Agency clean air standards and shared openly with the community.

Land Stewardship

Mining changes the landscape. We take responsibility for protecting surrounding land during operations and after mining ends. Current land stewardship efforts include:

We work with community partners to restore land progressively throughout the life of the mine.

Reclamation and Mine Closure

Reclamation planning begins early. Final site reclamation will occur at the end of the 40-year mine life and will take several years to complete.

State and federal law require an approved closure and reclamation plan before mining can begin. These plans adapt over time as new technologies and best practices emerge.

Resolution Copper, not taxpayers, is responsible for all closure costs and post-closure monitoring. Reclamation activities may include:

  • Closing and sealing mine shafts
  • Decommissioning facilities
  • Removing unneeded structures
  • Re-contouring and reseeding disturbed land
  • Long-term water quality and vegetation monitoring

Future land use decisions will be made with local communities and regulators. Some structures may remain to preserve historic mining heritage or support possible reuse.

Subsidence

Block cave mining will result in a slow, progressive sinking of the ground above the deposit called subsidence. Based on our studies, we believe that after 40 years of mining, the subsidence zone would be between 700 and 1000 feet deep. We will monitor and manage subsidence during and after our mining operations to minimize the potential impact of our work and preserve natural features such as Apache Leap.

Tailings Management

During mining, copper ore is separated from non-economic rock. The remaining material, called tailings, contains fine rock particles, water, and small amounts of process chemicals. Tailings will be transported by pipeline to a designated storage facility engineered for long-term stability. The facility design accounts for earthquakes and extreme weather events. Before construction, we must submit:

  • A closure and reclamation plan
  • Financial assurance to cover long-term care

Independent third-party experts will regularly review the facility. Monitoring systems will track groundwater, surface water, air quality, and structural stability. Water from the facility will be recovered and reused in operations.

Reclamation of the tailings facility will take place during operations and after closure. The site will be replanted with vegetation native to the Sonoran Desert.

Resources

Our Work

New Water Recycling System Reduces Annual Use by One Million Gallons

A new Potable Water Recycling System is now operating on site, reducing water use by an estimated one million gallons per year. The system captures clean analyzer water and returns it to the plant for reuse, replacing water that was previously discharged onto the ground.

Reflecting on His Past, Bryan Mines a New Future

Bryan’s family is no stranger to mining. Born and raised in Globe, Bryan grew up watching his father and uncles work at the Magma Copper Mine. The industry was volatile at the time, and Bryan’s father was laid off three different times. Wanting a more stable path for his son, Bryan’s father encouraged him to do anything else for a living. Bryan followed that advice and decided to enroll at the University of Arizona, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in economic development.

Apache Owned Business to Manage Oak Flat Campground

Resolution Copper reaffirms that public access to the Oak Flat Campground, as well as to recreational roads and climbing areas on private land in the Oak Flat area, will remain open for the foreseeable future following completion of a federal land exchange this month.

United States Forest Service and Resolution Copper Complete Land Exchange

The U.S. Forest Service and Resolution Copper, a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto and BHP that represents one of the world's most significant untapped copper deposits, have completed a Federal land exchange required to unlock the full potential of the project.

Eight Years of Emory Oak Restoration and Cultural Stewardship

Across Arizona’s National Forests, Emory oak trees and the restoration of their groves support far more than wildlife and shade. For Western Apache communities, these trees provide acorns that are central to food traditions, ceremonies, and cultural practices that stretch back generations.

Resolution Copper in the Community: 2025 Recap

If there’s one thing 2025 proved, it’s this: engaging with the community isn’t a side project for us. Across the Copper Triangle and surrounding communities, Resolution Copper showed up in hundreds of ways, big and small. Some days it looked like volunteers packing food bags. Other days it looked like robotics kits in classrooms, filling sandbags, or youth baseball teams taking the field.

$4.5M Invested in Local Communities in 2025

Together alongside local partners, we invested over 4.5 million dollars to support students, families, communities, small businesses, and the places we all care about in the Copper Triangle region. The year was full of real moments that changed lives in quiet, meaningful ways. A robotics team getting their first competition kit. Families picking up holiday meals with dignity and relief. Teachers gain new tools for hands-on learning

Inside Our Underground Concrete Work on 68L

At Resolution Copper, we recently completed a major upgrade on 68L, one of the key levels deep in our underground system. The work was a collaboration between our team, Redpath, and Oddonetto, and it is a good window into what it takes to build strong mining infrastructure before full operations begin.

Resolution Copper Donates $285,000 to United Food Bank

Resolution Copper has donated $285,000 to Mesa-based United Food Bank to support the nonprofit’s mission and work in the Copper Corridor, tribal communities, and in the East Valley. The multi-year agreement through December 2028 comes at a critical time when there is record demand for food among all populations, including seniors and working families.