'We are the guinea pigs': Arizona mining project sparks concerns for air and water

South32's project was fast-tracked by the Biden administration, but residents are worried about its impact on a fragile ecosystemGrowing up on the US-Mexico border, Denise Moreno Ramírez loved to escape the desert heat by hiking the sycamore-speckled mountains near her home in Arizona. These isolated mountains - known as the Sky Islands - provide a crucial habitat for native plants and animals, but also played a special role in Moreno Ramírez's family history: like many in the area with Indigenous Yaqui or Mayo origins, her ancestors once mined the mountains for precious metals.Moreno Ramírez's great-grandfather, Alberto Moreno, dug for copper when he first came to Arizona from Mexico in the early 1900s. He found that the mining industry powered the state economy and put food on his table; eventually his son - Moreno Ramírez's grandfather - followed suit and worked in the mines, too. Continue reading...