Iran Uranium Mine Partner Would Benefit From Senate Land-Swap Bill

WASHINGTON -- A bill offered Thursday by Arizona's two senators would aid a company that partners with Iran in an African uranium mine.

The bill, the Southeast Arizona Land Exchange and Conservation Act of 2013, is sponsored by Sens. Jeff Flake (R) and John McCain (R). It would swap 2,400 acres of federal land in Arizona for 5,500 acres of land that the Department of the Interior deems as “important” for conservation.

The idea is to give the Resolution Copper Mining Co. access to land that would allow it to extract vast amounts of metal, while theoretically boosting the economy and protecting public property. A press release from the senators said the mine would generate more than $64 billion in economic activity, as well as tax revenue, and would meet as much as 20 percent of U.S. demand for copper.