The project site is located within the Santa Rita Mountains and Coronado National Forest, in Pima County of southern Arizona.

The nearest established communities are Sonoita, Patagonia, Sahuarita, Green Valley, Corona de Tucson, and Vail.

[2] Proponents argue that the project will create jobs, generate tax revenue and reduce American dependence on foreign sources of copper.

On August 23, 2019, the US Army Corps of Engineers issued a letter to Rosemont Copper Company that immediately suspended its permit.

[16] Subsequent granitic intrusions and felsic volcanic eruptions dominated the late Mesozoic and early Cenozoic, corresponding to the Laramide Orogeny when most of the porphyry copper deposits of the region formed.

[18] The official start to Rosemont Copper's National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process began in February 2008.

[20] The Forest Service Southwestern Regional Office released their Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) and draft Record of Decision (ROD) for the Rosemont Copper Project on December 13, 2013.

[23] Following the determination from Judge Soto that Rosemont's attempt to use Forest Service land for waste disposal was invalid, on August 23, 2019, General D. Peter Hemlinger PE, Division Commander, Northwestern Division, US Army Corps of Engineers wrote a letter to Ms. Katherine Ann Arnold, PE, Director of Environment for Hudbay Minerals Corporation, that rescinded Rosemont's operating permit.

Gen. Hemlinger wrote: "I am writing to inform you that I am suspending your Department of the Army (DA) permit, issued on March 8, 2019, for the Rosemont Copper project (SPL-2008-00816- MB).

[6] Hudbay is now seeking partners for a new mine proposal, Copper World, that would be entirely restricted to its privately held property near Helvetia, at least until such time as permission can be obtained for disposal of waste on federal lands.

[25] Before the Ninth Circuit ruling invalidated the basis for the use of Forest land, Rosemont Copper had secured the following major permits necessary to begin construction on the proposed mine: The Rosemont proposal received the following approvals before the Ninth Circuit ruling: The concerns about mining in the northern Santa Rita Mountains revolve around potential risks to the environment, with water being the number one concern.

Proponents argue that the Rosemont mine will provide economic benefits to the region, including jobs and tax revenue,[48] as well as help reduce U.S. dependence on foreign sources of minerals.

[49] Opposition to the project is led by Save the Scenic Santa Ritas (SSSR) and includes the Center for Biological Diversity, Coalition for Sonoran Desert Protection, Defenders of Wildlife, Sierra Club, Sky Island Alliance, and Tucson Audubon Society.

Increasing levels of surprise, controversy and a sense of unfair treatment and lack of concern for the public interest has resulted in a spate of lawsuits, even as federal and state agencies have issued the requisite permits.

There is no community consensus on whether the prospective benefits to the economy would outweigh the known impacts to land and water in both the Santa Cruz and Cienega watersheds.