South32 updates Santa Cruz supervisors on Hermosa timeline, permits and community protections

South32 President Pat Reisner told the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors on May 29, 2025, that construction work at the Hermosa site is advancing, that a Department of Defense–funded underground decline will be complete by year’s end and that a broader record of decision under the Forest Service environmental review is on the agency’s current schedule.

The update matters because Hermosa is a multi‑decade mining development that South32 says will bring long‑term employment and require changes to regional infrastructure; neighbors and public officials have raised questions about air, water, traffic, housing and tourism impacts. The company described where decisions already have been made, what remains under review, and what it says would happen if federal approvals for some federal‑land infrastructure are not granted.

Reisner said the work now under way includes sinking two shafts and advancing a decline for underground access. “We should complete that by the end of the year, and have access underground,” he said. He told supervisors the decline work to assess a manganese deposit is co‑funded by a U.S. Department of Defense grant and that the company has not yet made a decision to mine manganese: “We haven't made the decision to mine manganese. This is just to do underground exploration and is co funded by the federal government.”

Company timelines and workforce figures provided at the meeting:

- South32 reported roughly 600–700 people on site for construction work now, with an expected ramp to about 1,000 by July as surface construction begins; the company said it anticipates 800–900 long‑term direct jobs once the operation is at steady state. - One shaft is roughly…