By Associated Press - Thursday, December 22, 2016

FLORENCE, Ariz. (AP) - A company planning to develop a copper mine in Florence says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a permit allowing it to build and operate a small-scale test project at the site.

Vancouver, Canada-based Taseko Mines Limited said in a news release Wednesday that the EPA permit will allow it to drill two dozen wells and inject an acid solution into a copper-bearing deposit. The solution and dissolved copper would then be pumped to the surface for processing.

The permit is the last of 19 required for the mine. The company says an appeal of a state aquifer permit is ongoing and the EPA permit is also likely to be challenged.

Florence town officials and many residents fearing contamination of the local water supply oppose the project.

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