Environmental Stewardship
Antler Copper will help build a sustainable future by designing a modern mine that uses advanced technology and best practice design, including underground mining and dry-stack tailings to minimize environmental impacts.
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Our Commitment in Action
PROJECT LIFECYCLE
We are analyzing every detail of our plans to make smart design choices before mining begins. This will minimize Antler Copper’s environmental impact at all stages, whether we’re in peak operations or continued site reclamation after operations stop.
Antler will use concurrent reclamation – meaning we will rehabilitate the site while we mine as opposed to waiting until operations end. In doing so, we will reduce dust, reintroduce plants earlier for regrowth, and reduce the overall time needed to return the land to its pre-mining uses.
REMEDIATING A HISTORIC MINING DISTRICT
Before we begin full operations, Antler has committed to clean up over 100,000 tons of waste rock and tailings on our private lands generated by historic operations.
We will voluntarily and proactively partner with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) to clean up these materials to protect the local water supply.
STRATEGICALLY DEVELOPING INFRASTRUCTURE
We’re locating Antler’s processing plant next to the underground mine in order to help reduce project related emissions.
We’re maintaining, and even expanding, public access for recreational users by investing in the construction of an overpass for mine traffic to give recreational users a protected lane that is segregated from any mine-related traffic.
We’re co-locating Antler’s power infrastructure alongside existing roads, making its construction and maintenance more efficient. A 20.8kV residential power line will simultaneously be installed to supply electricity to the nearby community.
BIOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL STUDIES
Since 2021, we have extensively studied the area’s ecosystems, including local plants, animals, and culturally significant resources, to establish a clear baseline of the site’s original condition.
Antler stands behind the commitment to share comprehensive biodiversity and cultural information, inclusive of private lands, with affiliated Tribal governments throughout all regulatory review processes. We recognize that the primary priority for Tribal governments is to protect natural and cultural resources while ensuring the well-being of their communities.
We will continue to monitor this data during operations and post-closure to maintain ongoing protection of valuable ecological and cultural resources.
PRIORITIZING SAFETY AND ACHIEVING ZERO HARM
Antler Copper prioritizes safety above all else, and has an unwavering commitment to the health, safety, and wellbeing of our people. Antler Copper will utilize best industry practices to improve safety of employees and the community.
HOW OUR DESIGN SUPPORTS SUSTAINABILITY
High-Efficiency Water Management
Unlike traditional mining, which is highly water-intensive, Antler will efficiently manage water at every stage to minimize use, maximize reuse, and protect and conserve local water resources.
Because water conservation is a top priority, we are designing a zero-discharge project site to capture, treat, and reuse all water. As a result…
We’ll recapture 70% of water used within the tailings process and treat it in a state-of-the art facility so that water quality is better than we found it – and can be re-used in our operations.
We’ll treat local water we use to be better than we found it, meeting all Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR) standards.
We already conduct groundwater and well monitoring to understand water quality, levels, and how water sources replenish themselves before operations begin so that we can ensure their protection during operations.
SAFE AND EFFICIENT
UNDERGROUND MINING PROCESS
We can now safely and efficiently mine underground, which limits how much land is impacted on the surface, minimizes wildlife habitat disruption, and improves community and employee safety.
Antler will only disturb about 171 surface acres of private land and two acres of Bureau of Land Management (BLM)-administered public lands. Unlike other regional copper mines that have thousands of acres of surface disturbance, the underground mine at Antler will have a minimal surface footprint.
LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS
TAILINGS MANAGEMENT
Conventional mines use water to transport and store their tailings but most of it is lost when the tailings dry out. Antler will utilize a double-lined dewatered (dry-stack) tailings storage facility (DTSF), which is globally regarded as an industry best practice because it minimizes water and land use and significantly improves long-term tailings stability.
