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Though the project is a vital strategic asset for the US, its reliance on advanced tech for mitigation techniques have failed to ease local anxieties about water security and the environment.
In the past two years, the US government has placed significant emphasis in obtaining rare earth minerals. From EVs to precision weapons, these minerals have become an essential commodity in the global economy. However, global sanctions on their export have created harder competition for nations to develop the necessary industries, utilising these minerals.
Acting as the poster child for the US critical minerals strategy is the South32 Hermosa project. Located in southern Arizona, this multibillion-dollar mining project was the first to have been federally fast tracked after being deemed essential to national interests.
What makes this project special is the site’s two primary deposits, Taylor and Clark. The Taylor Deposit holds one of the world’s largest undeveloped Zinc resources in the world, alongside contents of Lead and Silver.
On the other hand, the Clark Deposit focused on Battery-Grade Manganese which is a big deal because the US currently has zero domestic production of this element. Another high-priority exploration target within the broader site also found the presence copper.
Yet, tapping into vast previously untouched domestic deposits isn’t all Hermosa brings. After decades of exporting raw ore only to buy back refined minerals from China, the US is finally reclaiming its industrial sovereignty via Hermosa, because the project also includes its own processing facilities.
However, just like any other mining project, Hermosa brings in as much caveats as it does benefits.
The Patagonia Mountains
These mountains where Hermosa is being developed is known to be a Sky Island ecosystem with species not ordinarily found elsewhere. In fact, the US Forest Service identified 12 endangered species such as the Jaguar and Mexican Spotted Owl that could have their habitats severely upended by the mine.
Conservationists warn the mine lies within a vital US–Mexico migration corridor, where heavy industrial activity could permanently disrupt the movement of large mammals.
U.S. Forest Service said it plans to approve South32’s Hermosa project in Patagonia, Arizona
Yet another biodiversity hot spot of nature to be trashed mined polluted and destroyed by economic growth fanatics https://t.co/LNG9JbWOhp— GO GREEN (@ECOWARRIORSS) March 17, 2026
Compounding concerns are water issues, as the project relies on dewatering, a process that involves pumping out large volumes of water to prevent the mine tunnels from flooding.
For the entire run of the project, it’s estimated that 195,000 acre-feet of water would be pumped out, lowering the area’s water volume, and resulting in nearby residential wells running dry. With the dense populations of flora and fauna in the area, their water dependent lives are also left hanging.
