Newman, now retired and living in Oracle, told the Star in an email that he would cooperate with the House committee’s investigation but has no opinion about it.

“Congress will do what it will do. The process will play out in both political and legal arenas and the rest of us will be spectators,” he said.

Since the mining claim-waste disposal issue was publicly discussed at length a decade ago, he’s not sure if Rosemont’s fate would have turned out differently, if the internal Forest Service disputes had been disclosed then, he added.

Derby, now retired and living in the Tucson Mountains foothills, said she was glad that Grijalva is investigating because it will be “good in the long run for the health of the agency, government agencies in general and also the government’s responsibility to the public.”

While it’s unknown if Grijalva’s investigation could affect the mine dispute’s outcome, she said she thinks it could affect future prospects for overhauling the 1872 Mining Law, which was passed to encourage mining on public lands.

Several law professors who agree with Soto’s ruling have already said that, if it survives appeals, it could trigger changes in that law because the ruling may make it hard to approve new mines under existing law.

“If that happens, it would be good, even if it’s incremental,” Derby said of changes to the mining law.

Contact reporter Tony Davis at tdavis@tucson.com or 806-7746. On Twitter@tonydavis987

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