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Senator John McCain arrives underground at the Resolution Copper project.
Mila Besich-Lira | Sun
Councilmember Mila Besich-Lira, Senator John McCain, Councilmember Steve Estatico, Tom Goodell, Councilmember Michael Alonzo and Andrew Taplin pose for a picture while waiting for the bucket to arrive at the surface. RCC | Submitted
Superior Sun
Sen. John McCain visited the Resolution Copper project and went underground to the 1200 level to meet with the underground workers and host a press conference. During his visit underground McCain spoke candidly with the workers about their job and some of the challenges the Resolution Copper project has faced over the years. He explained that the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange has become one of the top four issues that have been the hardest to resolve.
Sen. McCain was also joined by Superior Town Councilmembers Michael Alonzo, Steve Estatico and Mila Besich-Lira. McCain has been a steadfast supporter of the Resolution Copper project and voiced his support to the workers at the mine as well as at a Town Hall meeting held at the Superior Chamber of Commerce building.
The tour began with a safety meeting which taught the group to how to operate a respirator in case of emergency and also how to remain safe during their time underground. The elected guests to the mine donned all of the required safety gear and harnesses as per MSHA regulations.
Senator McCain thanked the local mayors and elected officials for their leadership.
“Mayors are closest to the people,” McCain said. “Thank you for your stewardship.” Sen. McCain encouraged the local leaders to try to resolve some of their concerns regarding the project. A large part of his discussion in the town hall forum had to do with the job creation and assisting the San Carlos Apache tribal members to find employment at the mine.
During the Town Hall, Senator McCain also answered questions on the Ebola outbreak and national security issues in regards to ISIS. McCain stated that he did not think that Ebola posed an immediate threat to Arizona, but said that the US needed to take precautions to stop it from spreading any further. Regarding ISIS, Sen. McCain stressed that ISIS hates what America stands for and they need to be stopped.
“It is not about containment; it is about killing them,” he said.
Author’s Note: Almost 20 years ago I was invited to go underground to write a story about the closure of the mine in 1996. At the time the story would of been written about how a piece of the economic history of Superior would no longer exist. Being underage I needed my parents permission, which was not granted by my Dad. It was a wonderful experience to tour the mine so many years later and write about the present operations and the future opportunity the mine can bring to our community and region, the long awaited trip has made an even larger impact taking the journey with Senator McCain. The tour provided a new perspective of what the miners of our community go through on a daily basis.
Mila Besich is a resident of Superior with two children. She volunteers for many local organizations. She is an experienced fundraiser and event planner for Copper Corridor Economic Development Coalition. She covers some of the area town councils and schools.
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