On Wednesday, the Forest Service granted final approval for the Hermosa Mine project. The mine, operated by South32, will extract critical minerals such as zinc, silver and manganese from the mountains near Patagonia beginning in 2028.
The mine was the first in the nation to be approved for and complete the FAST-41 permitting process, an initiative that streamlines approval for industrial projects, including critical mineral mines. FAST-41 helped Hermosa get federal approval — a process that often takes over a decade — in under three years.
According to the Forest Service, the Hermosa mine is the only project in North America with the potential to develop battery-grade manganese domestically. The U.S. currently imports all its manganese — which is crucial for the production of batteries for electric vehicles — from abroad.
Reducing that reliance on foreign sources is one reason why the Biden administration made critical mineral mines eligible for FAST-41. But this week, on the same day that the Hermosa project received final approval, the House passed a bill extending FAST-41 eligibility to all mining operations.
Arizona Rep. Adelita Grijalva spoke against the bill, arguing that it would make it harder for local communities and Tribal Nations to participate in the approval process.
“At a time when we should be strengthening environmental protections, respecting Tribal sovereignty, and ensuring communities have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their land and water, this bill moves us in the wrong direction,” she said.
The bill passed narrowly with complete Republican support as well as the votes of seven Democratic representatives.
