Canadian company pulls application for controversial Florence mine

The Canadian company that wants to develop a controversial new copper mining project in Pinal County has pulled its rezoning application, at least temporarily, with the city of Florence. Curis Resources Limited wants to develop a $500 million copper mining project in Florence. Florence’s Town Council was slated to consider the mine project next month, including some necessary zoning and planning changes. The Vancouver-based Canadian mining firm told town officials this afternoon it was withdrawing its application for the mine’s approval until it gets other approvals from state and federal environmental regulatory agencies. Opponents of the mine say the move was because the project faced a possible negative vote by the Florence council. Curis CEO Mike McPhie said the timetable for the mine’s development is still the same, but his company wants to get environmental permit approvals first from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Arizona Department of Environmental Quality before asking Florence for zoning approvals. McPhie hopes to have the EPA and ADEQ permits approved early next year and reapply for Florence zoning changes later in 2012. Copper extraction could begin next year on land owned by the state of Arizona. Curis needs the town of Florence’s approval for private lands it bought from BHP Copper in 2010. McPhie said copper production on that private land could begin in 2013.

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