Aurelio Resource Corp (fka AULO)

[MUSHROOMKING]

Elfrida copper mining

Published on Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Among the many assets contained in Cochise County is copper. Lots of it.

Lately, a Colorado company named Aurelio Resource Corp. has been investigating the possibility of re-mining the copper-rich ore found in the Elfrida-Courtland area.
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Currently selling for about $4 a pound, the price of copper has quadrupled in the last five years. The global market has been driven by a high demand in China. The value of copper is reflected in some criminal behavior, in which thieves have stripped copper out of even some of the most remotely-located public and private infrastructure.

The Turquoise Mining District north of Elfrida, on the trailing southern edge of the Dragoon Mountains, was a productive copper mining area from the late 1880s through the 1930s and again in the 1960s and 1970s.

Why not again?

During the recent economic downturn, many people are reminded of the value of things. If a valuable metal can be produced from the earth for a fair market value, without harming any person or property, then this can be a worthy goal.

Jobs, income, tax revenues and other benefits could come to Cochise County as a result. As one person commented, perhaps the dusty washboard Gleeson Road that connects Tombstone to Elfrida could finally get the paving that so many people have desired for so long.

There are, of course, many questions and concerns from people who live in the mining district.

The two big items on everyone's mind: Water adequacy and pollution.

These concerns are not easily resolved. Cochise County residents are fiercely protective of their rural, unspoiled environment.

The public process of hearings and authorization at multiple layers of government is designed to address people's concerns. There is also an opportunity for redress through the courts and ballot initiatives.

But, really, the bottom line is: Can Aurelio be a good, responsible neighbor? They claim so, saying they have spent much time getting to know the people in the area.

It remains to be seen whether they will be or not. But we say give them a chance.




http://www.svherald.com/articles/2008/06/25/opinion/editorials/doc4861df517560d253126415.txt