Rio Tinto and BHP get their hands on huge US copper deposit after drawn-out court battle
Rio Tinto and BHP have emerged victorious from a lengthy US court battle against what President Donald Trump had branded ‘radical left’ opposition to the mining majors’ unrelenting copper hunt.
Rio Tinto and BHP have emerged victorious from a lengthy US court battle against what President Donald Trump had branded “radical left” opposition to the mining majors’ unrelenting copper hunt.
Former Rio Tinto chief Jakob Stausholm and BHP boss Mike Henry sat down with the President in the Oval Office in August last year to find a way to progress their Resolution Copper joint venture in Arizona, after years of opposition from Native American Tribes and an 11th-hour injunction.
Mr Trump took to social media at the time and labelled the legal decision a threat to thousands of jobs by a “radical left court”.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“A Copper Mine in Arizona, ‘Resolution’, was just delayed by a Radical Left Court for two months – 3800 Jobs are affected, and our Country, quite simply, needs Copper – AND NOW!” he posted.
“They are looking to do an Expedited Appeal before the Ninth Circuit, but it is so sad that Radical Left Activists can do this, and affect the lives of so many people.”
But last week, the Us Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled in favour of the mining majors who had been angling for a land swap with the United States Forest Service for years to get at a copper deposit believed to be one of the largest undeveloped sources of the coveted commodity in the world.
As a result of the March 13 decision, the Resolution Copper joint venture will hand over 5400 acres of land to be kept under National Forests and National Conservation Areas, but get more than 2400 acres of copper-rich land in return.
With copper fever engulfing the world’s biggest mining companies, Rio and BHP’s 55:45 joint venture has wasted no time in confirming it will plough $US500 million ($708m) over the next two years into surface drilling and community funding.
Rio’s copper chief Katie Jackson said Resolution’s Arizona project had the potential to supply “up to 25 per cent of America’s copper demand for decades to come”.
“Completing the land exchange is a significant milestone and another positive step forward for the Resolution Copper project,” she said.
Getting the project into development will still require permitting at a state level. Prices for copper surged to a record at the start of 2026.
New Rio chief Simon Trott has directed 85 per cent of its exploration budget towards finding more of the red metal, but its leading option for development in WA so far rests largely on the undeveloped Winu deposit in the Paterson region.
Winu was said in the past to be too small for a company of Rio’s scale, but has since pressed ahead with a pre-feasibility study scheduled to be finished by the end of this year.
Rio and Swiss-Anglo miner Glencore walked away from talks about a potential merger, largely spurred by the copper frenzy, in February.
The land transfer in the US follows years of pushback from environmental and Native American groups who received support from the Pilbara’s Puutu Kunti Kurrama and Pinikura People back in 2021 after Rio destroyed sacred sites at Juukan Gorge.
