Carlota Cleared

The Arizona Court of Appeals has upheld an air quality permit issued more than 3 years ago by the Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality for the proposed Carlota open pit copper mine & processing facility just West of the Town of Miami. ADEQ Director Steve Owens says the appeals court in Phoenix ruled the decision made by his agency in February 2003 to renew Carlota's air permit was proper under both the federal Clean Air Act & the State Air Quality Law. The court rejected a challenged by the Friends of Pinto Creek who sought to overturn the permit.