Florence Copper has applied for a “minor amendment” to its Pinal County air quality permit to acknowledge the project’s lower emissions through improved technology and plans to obtain the permit appropriate for full-scale commercial operations someday, the company said.
Florence Copper has applied for a “minor amendment” to its Pinal County air quality permit to acknowledge the project’s lower emissions through improved technology and plans to obtain the permit appropriate for full-scale commercial operations someday, the company said.
FLORENCE — Florence Copper’s parent company will attempt to recover as much as $5 million from the town of Florence in legal fees and related costs spent defending the town’s lawsuits, a top company official said.
Taseko Mines of Canada, owner of Florence Copper, filed suit Jan. 9 in Maricopa County Superior Court to recover $640,000 in legal costs to defend itself in a case brought by the town and others against Florence Copper and the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The suit challenged the ADEQ’s issuance of a temporary permit to Florence Copper.
The company will also seek recovery of fees it spent to defend a case in which the town argued that Florence Copper had no historic rights to mine. A Maricopa County Superior Court ruled for Florence Copper on Jan. 2. Taseko has yet to calculate its total costs to defend that suit over a five-year period, but it is expected to total between $3 million and $5 million, according to Brian Battison, vice president of corporate affairs for Taseko Mines.
Battison said in a phone interview that Arizona law allows a defendant to recover its costs if it prevails in a lawsuit brought by a government entity. He said Taseko and Florence Copper suffered additional damages that aren’t recoverable, including damage to their reputations, damage in the marketplace and regulatory delays because of the town’s lawsuits.
The town of Florence has not yet responded to a request for comment.
In recent years, town staff estimated the town spends just under $300,000 per year in legal battles against Florence Copper. The last two annual town budgets have set aside $500,000 in legal costs related to the company.
Mark Cowling is the county reporter for PinalCentral and covers the town of Florence, San Tan Valley and the surrounding area. He can be reached at mcowling@pinalcentral.com.
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