Randy Seppala grew up in the mining town of Superior and has spent almost 40 years working underground.
“The fundamental principles are all still the same – you drill, blast, muck,” Seppala said. “We’re doing it bigger, we’re doing it faster with more mechanization.”
Seppala is a site manager for Resolution Copper and one of a cast of people working to make the mine Arizona’s largest producer of copper. Arizona Week Friday looks at the past, present and future of mining.
Silver was the first metal pulled from the earth near Superior starting in 1870. Copper mining started about 20 years later.
Today, an estimated 1.9 billion tons of copper lay under the now-inactive Magma mine. Resolution Copper Project Director Andrew Taplin estimates the site would support 40 years of mining and close to 5,000 jobs in construction and operation.
“The Resolution Copper Mine will be pioneering new ground,” Taplin said.
The project stalled for several years because it required a land swap determined by federal legislation. Environmental and Native American groups have raised concerns about the cultural and environmental consequences of the mine.
The project’s owners, Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton, are proceeding with studies required under the National Environmental Policy Act, and Taplin estimates commercial mining could start in five years.
On the program:
- Host Lorraine Rivera goes 7,000 feet underground in the Resolution Copper Mine
- Arizona State Mine Inspector Joe Hart
- Resolution Copper Environmental Manager Casey McEwen
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