Oak Flat has been subject to attempts by the federal government to exchange the site for lands owned by mining interests since 2002, against the wishes of the San Carlos Apache tribe.

As a "blessed place" where Ga'an — guardians or messengers between the people and Usen, the creator — dwell, Apaches have lived on, worshipped on and cared for this site since before recorded history.

[4] Resolution Copper (RC), a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto and BHP, has proposed conducting underground mining of a copper-molybdenum deposit located 5,000 to 7,000 feet (1,500 to 2,100 m) below the ground surface.

[5]: B-5   In 2014, just hours before the vote on the NDAA, Senator John McCain added a land exchange deal to the bill, which President Barack Obama signed.

[8] James Anaya, former United Nations special rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, said that without community and tribal support, Rio Tinto should abandon its Resolution Copper mining project.

[9] United States Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell said she was "profoundly disappointed with the Resolution Copper provision, which has no regard for lands considered sacred by nearby Indian tribes".

[11] Scientists warned that the mining project would create a large sinkhole about 2 miles (3.2 km) wide and 1,100 feet (340 m) deep, and would deplete and contaminate Arizona's already limited groundwater supply.

[13][14] Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar, who has characterized the dispute with the San Carlos Apache as "bogus," condemned the Historic Places designation by the Obama administration and the Forest Service as "sabotaging an important mining effort.