"Federal regulators approved South32’s Hermosa mine despite identifying adverse impacts to multiple endangered or threatened species, the suit notes."
"In the foothills of southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains, atop so-called critical minerals such as zinc, is South32’s Hermosa project. The first mine added to a federal program designed to speed up permitting, it “set the standard for what the modern federal permitting process should look like” with “clear timelines, real transparency, and comprehensive interagency coordination,” federal officials said after approving it this summer.
Environmental groups called it an illegal rush job that will harm vulnerable species. Now, two are suing the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service over the approval.
The federal government’s haste to finish environmental review for the mine via a program known as FAST-41, the lawsuit claims, led to permitting “riddled with inconsistencies, ambiguities, and legal violations” under the Endangered Species Act and another landmark law, the National Environmental Policy Act."
Wyatt Myskow reports for Inside Climate News September 29, 2026.
