This memorandum documents a review of the Action Alternatives contained in the 2025 Final EIS (FEIS) for the Resolution Copper Project and Land Exchange (Resolution) for consistency with the December 2023 Tonto National Forest Land Management Plan (forest plan).
The Arizona National Scenic Trail Comprehensive Plan is a long-term programmatic plan that fulfills the legislative requirements described in Section 5(e) of the National Trails System Act (Pub.L. 90-543, as amended) (NTSA).
The purpose of this addendum is to update the process memorandum dated October 28, 2020, titled “Cumulative Effects Analysis Overview and Screening by Resource” (Newell et al 2020). The original process memo served to outline the methods and screening results used for the analysis of cumulative effects within the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) prepared for the Resolution Copper Project by disclosing:Approach for addressing past and present actions in the EIS.
This order withdraws 276 acres of National Forest System (NFS) lands located within the Tonto National Forest from location and entry under the U.S. mining laws, but not from leasing under the mineral and geothermal leasing laws, for a 20-year term, subject to valid existing rights.
Five-Year Probabilistic Projections of future conditions in the Colorado River system currently extend through 2027. They are typically updated every January, April, and August, while probabilistic results for the 2-year period are updated every month. The 5-Year Probabilistic Projections are generated using the Colorado River Mid-Term Modeling System (CRMMS) in Ensemble Mode.
The decision is to adjust the 2007 Interim Guidelines for Lower Basin shortages and coordinated operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead as described under Section IX of this 2024 Near-term Colorado River Operations ROD.
The purpose of the withdrawal requested is to protect the lands pending conveyance to the Town of Superior (Town), Pinal County, Arizona as directed by Congress.
This land and resource management plan (referred to as the forest plan throughout this document) guides the Tonto National Forest in fulfilling its stewardship responsibilities to best meet the current and future needs of the people and communities we serve.
To assess the cumulative impact associated with use of groundwater for the Resolution Copper Project, modeling of proposed Resolution Desert Wellfield (DWF) pumping in East Salt River Valley (ESRV) was conducted in 2020 in support of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) using what was then ADWR’s current Phoenix AMA groundwater model. Results indicate that without Resolution DWF pumping, but including all other reasonably foreseeable future uses, pumping depths to groundwater beneath the Desert Wellfield at the end of a 100-year predictive period would be approximately 550 feet.
This environmental impact statement documents analysis of impacts of four alternatives developed for programmatic management of the nearly three million acres administered by the Tonto National Forest.
