Jesus Valdez, county manager, said the South32 mining project is located in the county but that state law places permitting authority at the state level, not with the county.

"The way the the laws in the state of Arizona, the county doesn't play any role in permitting the mine," Valdez said. He added that the county intends to be vigilant about environmental protections and hopes the company will be a partner for local benefits: "We do believe that South 32 wants to be a good a good partner with us. But we are vigilant when it comes to protecting our public from environmental impacts that [a mine] may have."

Valdez said county staff are preparing plans to address potential liabilities linked to the mine and to ensure the project has positive effects for constituents. "So we are planning on see we're planning on, our plan is to prepare plants so that we could the liabilities that otherwise we would not see because of the line," he said. The interview did not specify what those plans include or any formal county permitting actions.

Valdez emphasized the county's limited permitting role while noting officials will coordinate with state regulators and other stakeholders as the project proceeds. No board actions or votes concerning South32 were recorded in this interview.