Democratic Rep. Adelita Grijalva unveiled legislation Wednesday that would block a massive copper mine from moving forward on sacred Apache ground in Arizona, moving to fulfill one of her late father’s top legislative goals.
Grijalva introduced the “Save Oak Flat from Foreign Mining Act,” mirroring language the late Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D) first introduced in 2015 and championed despite Republican pushback.
“As my first bill in Congress, the Save Oak Flat From Foreign Mining Act reflects both my values and policy priorities: standing up for communities who have been ignored for too long, promoting responsible stewardship of our natural resources and tribal sovereignty, and ensuring that Arizona’s future isn’t sacrificed for short-term profit,” Grijalva said in a statement.
The first-term lawmaker — who won a special election in September to fill her late father’s Arizona congressional seat — also took a swipe at President Donald Trump, who has personally met with developers of the Resolution Copper mine before calling opponents of the project “Anti-American” in a Truth Social post in August.
