Resolution Copper (1990s-present)
Rio Tinto's Resolution Copper project in Arizona has sought federal permits for decades. A 2021 court ruling blocked a land exchange needed to access one of North America's largest copper deposits. The project remains stalled.
The 2021 ruling halted the land exchange and the project's timeline indefinitely.
Resolution Copper became a symbol of the difficulty of permitting new mines on federal land in the U.S.
Copper World's base case avoids federal land entirely, using private land with state and local permits. The 37-year extension case would require federal permits, facing the same challenges that have stalled Resolution Copper.
