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.
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.
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.
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 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.
Copper is one of those materials most people never think about until they really need it. It’s inside your phone. Your laptop. Hospital equipment. Power grids. Electric vehicles. Even renewable energy systems.
For Ginger, mining isn’t just a career. It is a way to honor her father’s passion for geology and the Arizona landscape he loved. More than 30 years ago, her dad, a hydrogeologist, moved the family to Arizona drawn to the region’s geology, water systems, and the potential beneath the surface. He passed away 20 years ago, but his curiosity stayed with her.
“Working at the Resolution Copper project would have been a dream job for him,” she says. “Every time I go underground, I think of him. It feels like I’m walking the path he never got to take.”
At Resolution Copper, our mission is to responsibly develop one of the world’s largest copper resources while creating lasting benefits for the communities around us. That means investing in education, supporting local economies, and partnering on initiatives that improve quality of life. Community engagement is not an add-on to our work. It is central to who we are and how we operate.
126 employees. 1,650 hours. One community.
That’s what impact looks like in the Copper Triangle. This year, our team showed up for food banks, flood cleanups, classrooms, and local events. They gave time, care, and heart. And it mattered.
As 2025 comes to a close, Resolution Copper reflects on a year defined by progress, collaboration, and a shared commitment to doing things the right way. From major operational milestones underground to meaningful investments in local communities, this year marked another important step forward in responsibly advancing one of the most significant copper projects in the United States.