Santa Cruz County officials announced on Apr. 10 that a public meeting will be held on Apr. 15 to discuss the county’s response to the Final Environmental Impact Statement for the South32 Hermosa Critical Minerals Project.
The meeting aims to inform residents about how their previous feedback, submitted during the Draft Environmental Impact Statement process in June 2025, has been addressed. Topics include fire and emergency services, wildlife undercrossings, air quality, and water resources such as groundwater conditions, water treatment discharges, surface water impacts, monitoring transparency, hydrologic modeling, and downstream watershed effects.
County management said community members are invited to ask questions and provide input at the session. The event is scheduled from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. at Room 120 of 2150 N. Pendleton Drive in Nogales.
The educational context in Santa Cruz County shows ongoing challenges with student performance. In the most recent reporting year for high school students (2023-24), only 18% passed the mathematics section of the ACT according to data from Arizona Department of Education. For grades three through eight during that same period, just over one in five students—23.6%—passed math on statewide assessments as reported by state education officials.
Previous years also showed low proficiency rates: In grades three through eight during the 2022-23 school year, more than seven out of ten students did not pass either English or mathematics sections of state tests according to official results. High schoolers had similar outcomes with only about one in six passing math and less than three out of ten passing English on standardized exams based on department statistics.
The upcoming briefing provides an opportunity for residents not only to engage with local leaders about environmental concerns but also within a broader context where educational outcomes remain an area of concern.
