Global mining giants Rio Tinto and BHP face more delays in the long battle to advance their Resolution copper project in Arizona after the US Forest Service told a court it is still negotiating with Native American tribes on a land swap necessary for work to start.
Rio holds 55% interest and BHP 45% in the proposed 40Blb, 40-year mine development 60 miles east of Phoenix.
The Biden administration slowed progress at Resolution in early 2021, calling for more consultation with Native American tribes who claim it would destroy a site of religious importance.
The Forest Service has told a US federal court it cannot set a timeline for its decision, Reuters reports.