"The U.S. Forest Service said it plans to approve South32’s Hermosa project in Patagonia, Arizona, despite the water problems the mine is already causing."

"PATAGONIA,  Ariz.—The U.S. Forest Service on March 5 announced it plans to soon approve the nation’s first critical minerals mine, South32’s Hermosa project, when it released the final environmental impact statement, which was permitted under a streamlined process.  The federal government called it “a strategic investment in America’s energy future” that “directly supports U.S. energy and security needs.”

But in Patagonia, Arizona, residents and environmentalists are preparing for the impacts the project will bring to a world-renowned biodiversity hotspot, as the town, the nearby city of Nogales and Santa Cruz County inch closer to signing a community benefit agreement with the Australian mine company, South32, to mitigate and help address the impacts it is already bringing.

South32’s $2 billion Hermosa project would extract zinc, lead and silver, all deemed critical minerals by the administration of President Donald Trump. A second mineral deposit contains manganese, another critical mineral, though a decision to move forward with extracting it is pending. South32 is also evaluating a copper deposit found on site."

Wyatt Myskow reports for Inside Climate News March 15, 2026. [2]