US judge halts plan to transfer Oak Flat land for contested Arizona copper mine

PHOENIX (AP) — A U.S. district judge on Friday temporarily halted the federal government’s plans to transfer land in eastern Arizona for a massive copper mining project amid protest by Native American groups that consider the area sacred.

Apache Stronghold and its supporters have been fighting for years to stop the transfer of Tonto National Forest land known as Oak Flat to Resolution Copper. Meanwhile, the company has touted the economic benefits for the region and says it’s worked with Native American tribes and others to shape the project.

U.S. District Judge Steven Logan said halting the land transfer would merely delay the production of copper and jobs and revenue to Arizona if it’s ultimately upheld. On the other hand, he said Apaches would lose legal access to an ancestral, sacred site if the transfer proceeded.

He said the balance of equities “tips sharply” in favor of Apache Str...