TRUMP TO APPROVE LAND SWAP FOR RIO TINTO PROJECT

U. S. President Donald Trump’s outgoing administration plans to approve a controversial land swap needed for Rio Tinto Ltd and partners to build an Arizona copper mining project that Native American tribes say will destroy sites of cultural and religious value. The move further escalates the growing clash between Indigenous groups, who are increasingly vocal about the need to preserve historical lands, and mining companies eager to produce more copper for electric vehicles and green technologies. The U.S. Forest Service will publish a final environmental impact statement on Jan. 15, a necessary step to complete the land exchange, said Tom Torres, acting supervisor of the Tonto National Forest, where the mine would be built. Publication will come five days before Trump is replaced by President-elect Joe Biden.