US Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) introduced legislation Monday to prevent the transfer of sacred Apache land to a copper mining company, offering permanent reassurance in a scenario that has posed a looming threat to the area since 2014.
Oak Flat, located in Arizona’s Tonto National Forest, is holy ground for the San Carlos Apaches, who come to pray and hold traditional ceremonies there. In 2014, the land was transferred to foreign mining company Resolution Copper in a last-minute addition to the 2015 defense budget bill.
