Congress moves to block foreign mining giant from destroying Native American sacred site

What it does

This bill withdraws approximately 2,422 acres of National Forest land in Arizona's Chí'chil Biłdagoteel Historic District from mining and development, permanently protecting a sacred site to Western Apache and other Native American tribes. The bill blocks Resolution Copper—a foreign-owned joint venture between Rio Tinto and BHP—from extracting copper beneath the district and prohibits all mining-related infrastructure (pipelines, power lines, waste dumps) that would destroy the site's cultural and religious significance.

Why we flagged it

The bill's operative mechanism is a straightforward withdrawal of federal land from mining and development to preserve a National Register-listed traditional cultural place and protect tribal religious and cultural practices. The framing is transparent and matches the functional intent.

What the text implies

• The bill directly reverses the 2014 Southeast Arizona Land Exchange Act (inserted as a rider in the 2015 NDAA), which transferred 2,422 acres to Resolution Copper. This re-withdrawal may trigger legal challenges from Resolution Copper and Rio Tinto/BHP, potentially resulting in litigation over takings claims or contract rights.
• Blocking the mine eliminates a major source of U.S. domestic copper production, potentially increasing U.S. reliance on foreign copper imports and affecting domestic semiconductor, renewable energy, and defense supply chains—though the bill text does not address these trade-offs.
• The bill mandates government-to-government consultation and cooperative agreements with tribes, establishing a precedent for tribal co-management authority over federal lands in the district, which may expand tribal sovereignty claims in future land-use disputes.
• By naming Rio Tinto's Chinalco ownership and export percentages to China, the bill frames the mine as a geopolitical loss of U.S. mineral resources to a Chinese state-owned entity, which may influence congressional support but does not alter the bill's core protective mechanism.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill protects Native American sacred sites, cultural resources, and tribal sovereignty from destruction by foreign mining interests, while also safeguarding downstream communities from environmental hazards (aquifer depletion, toxic waste, land subsidence). The primary cost—foregone copper extraction and export revenue—flows to foreign corporations, not U.S. citizens.

Named in the bill

Resolution Copper Mining, LLC, Rio Tinto, BHP, Chinalco, Tonto National Forest, National Park Service, Western Apache, Arizona Indian Tribes, U.S. Forest Service, Department of Agriculture

Where it stands

23 cosponsors: 23 Democrats.

• Mar 17, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Mar 17, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Natural Resources · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $240,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 34 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Adelita Grijalva, the sponsor, reported $451,283 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• League of Conservation Voters — $230,000 on 1 filing
• Mapetsi Policy Group LLC — $10,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.