Washington, D.C. — The full vote of the House of Representatives on the Kirkpatrick/Gosar land exchange bill tentatively scheduled for last Friday didn’t happen.

Latest developments in the Washington, D.C. battle over the federal budget resulted in HR 687 being bumped and delayed for a floor vote of the House until this Thursday, Sept. 26. The legislation is needed to pave the way for the proposed $6 billion underground Resolution Copper mine just east of Superior, which would create thousand of jobs and have an expected operating life of 35 to 40 years.

Company officials said earlier that for their project to move forward, Resolution must first complete extensive studies and will invest more than $1 billion in exploratory activities. And they have determined that an exchange of lands, as described in the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and conservation Act (HR 687), would allow them to secure the access needed to develop the safe.

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