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The U.S. Forest Service earlier this month issued the Final Record of Decision (ROD) for the Hermosa Critical Minerals Project in Southern Arizona’s Patagonia Mountains, completing the federal environmental review required for portions of the project planned on National Forest land. The decision follows several years of environmental study, public input, tribal and interagency consultation. 

Project developer South32 says Hermosa could produce up to five federally designated critical minerals, including zinc, silver, and manganese. The project includes a broader land package with potential for additional polymetallic and copper mineralization, positioning it as a significant domestic source of minerals tied to energy, manufacturing and supply-chain needs. 

The decision paves the way for South32 to fully develop the project beyond its privately held land, including building ancillary infrastructure such as a primary access road, a secondary dry-stack tailings facility, and allowing utility UniSource Energy Services to build a portion of a 138-kV power line on Coronado National Forest land.  

Construction is already halfway complete on private land. It was the first mining project accepted into the federal FAST-41 permitting program, which is reserved for nationally significant infrastructure projects meeting rigorous criteria.  

鈥淔rom the beginning, we designed Hermosa to be a different kind of mine, and the federal review process helped make it even better,鈥� South32 Hermosa President Pat Risner said. 鈥淵ears of agency review, Tribal consultation and community engagement strengthened environmental protections, informed project refinements and shaped a project that can transform the local economy. We are grateful to everyone who participated throughout the process and look forward to continuing that engagement as we move from construction and development into operations.鈥� 

The Final ROD also represents an important milestone in the broader national conversation around domestic critical mineral development and permitting reform. Hermosa鈥檚 advancement under FAST-41 did not reduce the thoroughness of environmental review or limit public input. Rather, the process helped improve interagency coordination, transparency, and accountability across federal agencies while ensuring the project moved through permitting in a timely and disciplined manner.  

Danny Seiden, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said the Hermosa project also demonstrates the value of a predictable and transparent permitting process. 

鈥淪outh32鈥檚 Hermosa project represents the kind of investment Arizona needs to strengthen domestic supply chains, support critical minerals production, and create long-term jobs in Santa Cruz County and across the state,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also a model for how permitting should work. Hermosa has gone through years of environmental review, public input, and interagency consultation, and the project remains on track under the federal permitting schedule. That鈥檚 the kind of predictable, transparent process Arizona needs more of if we want to lead in industries critical to our economy and national security.鈥� 

Over the course of the review process, Hermosa underwent extensive federal environmental analysis and consultation including more than 120 days of formal public comment periods, coordination across six federal and state agencies and consultation with 12 Tribes with historic affiliation to the region. 

鈥淚f we鈥檙e serious about bringing supply chains back to America and reducing our dependence on foreign countries, we need to responsibly produce more critical minerals here at home. This is exactly what the Hermosa project is doing,鈥� said U.S. Senator Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.). 鈥淭his milestone shows we can move projects through an efficient permitting process to create good-paying jobs while strengthening our national security.鈥� 

South32 conducted extensive baseline environmental studies and community engagement before permit applications were formally submitted, allowing project alternatives, water management approaches, access roads and mitigation measures to be shaped by stakeholder input early in the process. 

The Final ROD confirms that environmental protections, mitigation commitments, and adaptive management measures are integrated into the approved project. Throughout the review process, South32 refined Hermosa’s design in response to agency feedback, Tribal consultation and community input, including: 

• Redesign of the dry-stack tailings facility to avoid sensitive plant species;聽
• Design of a Primary Access Road, necessary for expansion, to also reduce traffic impacts to Patagonia and outdoor recreation areas;聽
• Surface and ground water quality and quantity monitoring beyond state level requirements;聽
• Wildlife crossings and habitat protections;聽
• Cultural resource avoidance measures; and聽
• Operational refinements聽are designed聽to reduce emissions,聽noise,聽and surface disturbance.聽

In total, South32 committed to more than 135 conservation, mitigation and monitoring measures developed in coordination with federal agencies, Tribes and local stakeholders. Many of those commitments will become federally enforceable components of the final Mine Plan of Operations, and associated management plans outlined in the Final ROD. 

鈥淭he Final Record of Decision for Hermosa is another important milestone for Nogales. It reflects years of collaboration to ensure the Hermosa project is developed in a way that balances economic opportunity with environmental stewardship,鈥� said Nogales Mayor Jorge Maldonado. 鈥淪outh32 is making a long-term investment in the people and future of Nogales through investments like its remote operating center 鈥淐entro鈥�. Hermosa has the potential to create new opportunities to support good-paying jobs and help ensure that more of our young people can build successful careers right here at home, and we appreciate South32’s commitment to developing Hermosa responsibly while creating opportunities for local families, students and businesses.鈥� 

With a surface footprint of 750 acres and projected to use approximately 90% less water than other mines in the region, South32 designed Hermosa to minimize its environmental impact. Once in operation, Hermosa would help transform and grow the local economy and create up to 900 good-paying jobs during peak operations, and support investment across surrounding communities for decades to come.