Residents raised concerns about noise, blasting, water use and lasting impacts during a Sept. 17 public hearing on plans to reopen the long-idle Copper Flat Mine near Hillsboro, while the company and supporters pointed to potential jobs and economic gains for the rural area, Searchlight New Mexico reports. Turnout at the hearing at the Hillsboro Community Center was larger than the town’s year-round population of fewer than 100.
The open-pit copper mine operated for only about four months in 1982 before closing amid low copper prices and debt. New Mexico Copper Corp., which Searchlight says is owned by Australia’s Maloney family and which the Albuquerque Journal has described as a subsidiary of THEMAC Resources, has sought permits for more than a decade to restart it; its current application dates to 2010. An amended plan proposes dry-stack tailings storage instead of a conventional wet tailings pond. The plan projects about 628 million pounds of copper over an operating life of 18 years or more, the Journal reported in March.
The company says the dry-stack design, which squeezes out and recycles most of the water, would use almost 1 million gallons a day, an 84% cut from its 2018 proposal. The Albuquerque Journal reported in March that the plan would reduce the mine’s water use from about 6,100 acre-feet a year to 1,050. Critics argue the savings are overstated and that the mine’s water use still risks harming groundwater, plant life in the Animas Valley and downstream users on the Rio Grande. "In the end, everything leaves Sierra County," said Dan Lorimier, who has lived in the county for 50 years and pointed to its minerals, profits and water. Hillsboro residents Arnold Avery and Barbara Pearlman also questioned the effects of noise and blasting in the quiet rural setting.
Supporters emphasize economic benefits. The company says on its website that the mine would create 1,156 construction jobs and 270 full-time operations jobs and generate about $200 million in federal and state taxes. The company has also pledged to prioritize New Mexico workers, according to the Albuquerque Journal.
What's Next
The New Mexico Mining and Minerals Division held the hearing, and its public comment period closed Oct. 16. Additional state and federal approvals remain pending before any restart.
Why It Matters
Residents and environmental advocates say the mine's economic benefits could come at the expense of resources the community cannot replace.
About This Story
Daily Reports is Brant.One’s news roundup. Each day we gather the New Mexico stories worth knowing from newsrooms across the state, sum them up and point you to the source. This one comes from Searchlight New Mexico’s reporting, and their original story has the interviews and full details.
Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit Searchlight New Mexico’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.
