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Community advocates urge Nogales council to press for transparency in South32 benefits agreement
Summary
A Patagonia nonprofit director urged the Nogales City Council to take a more active, public role in negotiating a community protections and benefits agreement with South32, citing secrecy and community concern about air and water impacts.
Anna Darien, executive director of the Patagonia Area Resource Alliance, asked the City of Nogales on Oct. 1 to push for transparency and stronger protections in a community protections and benefits agreement being negotiated with mining company South32.
Darien said she supports the benefits side of the agreement — including support South32 has provided to schools and local programs — but described the protection measures as “very scary” and criticized the process as secretive. “We don't really know what's in the agreement, what's not in the agreement, what the timeline is,” she told the council.
Darien asked the…
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