The Trump administration on Friday telegraphed its support for South32 Hermosa’s $2.16 billion plan to dig for manganese and zinc deep in Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains.
The Forest Service released a draft environmental impact statement for what South32 has said will be a mine in one of the world’s largest undeveloped zinc resources to produce battery-grade manganese for electric vehicles and manganese for military applications.
The document’s release is significant given that Hermosa is the first mining project to move through the FAST-41 program, a permitting program for infrastructure projects that provides firm timelines and data to track. The Biden administration added Hermosa to the FAST-41 queue, and the Trump administration has subsequently added 20 critical mineral projects.
The draft EIS lays out a preferred path for the Hermosa project to move forward, which involves the company expanding its underground mine from private land onto adjacent property managed by the Forest Service. South32 already holds state permits to build and operate on private land but needs federal approval to complete the project.
