While Nevada Copper has not yet commented on the Senate passage of NDAA 2015, Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, observed the Nevada Copper Pumpkin Hollow project will generate more than 1,000 new jobs in the economically hard-hit Yerington, Nevada area, at an average wage of more than $85,000 annually.

“As I said before, copper is the second most used mineral at the Department of Defense and is considered an essential mineral for weapons production,” said Heller. “Copper is also the primary mineral from which other strategic and critical minerals like Rhenium are derived. A domestic supply of this important resource greatly benefits our national security.”

In a statement, Resolution Copper Project Director, Andrew Taplin, said, “Passage of this legislation means that Resolution Copper can move forward with the development of this world-class ore body which will create approximate 3,700 jobs, generate over $60 billion in economic impact and result in almost $20 billion in state and federal tax payments.”

“There is much work to be done before commercial mining can begin and Resolution Copper looks forward to working with all stakeholders as we continue to progress through the regulatory review process toward responsible development and operations of a world-class copper mine that will safely produce over 25% of the current annual demand for copper in the United States,” he added.

Despite their defeats on the mining land exchanges, environmentalists have scored a victory as 362,000 acres of federal lands in Montana and 57,449 acres of Bureau of Land management land in Nevada will be withdrawn from mining exploration, mineral leasing and mining development.

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