Patagonia, Arizona (KGUN) – A large new mining project is gathering near Patagonia.

The developers of the South 32 Hermosa mine near Patagonia say it’s great for the economy, with lots of work, lots of material important for national defense, and can power electric vehicles if they choose. However, environmentalists in the area are worried about the mines.

South 32 says it will become one of the largest zinc mines in the world. Zinc is important in steel manufacturers and in a wide variety of manufacturing. We rely on other countries for most of it.

According to the mine, manganese in the mine is extremely important for advanced batteries and other technical items, so the Department of Defense has given a $20 million grant to explore the extracted manganese.

The Pat Listener is the president of the South32 Hermosa project.

He said, “It would be 8-900 long-term employment, $90,000 a year jobs, and increase the economy by about a third.”

Many of these workers operate mining equipment through remote control from the control center to be built in Norgareth.

South 32 says plans for underground mines are far better for the environment than large open-pit mines.

They say they limit dust by crushing the rock underground and sealing off what they extract. They plan to use much less processed water than other mines, clean the water and recycle it into streams.

Jody Stellar of the Patagonia Regional Resource Alliance is worried about the impact of dust when the mine is operating, and says dust from construction is currently a problem.

“They are taking water out of the mountains. I don’t know what that means for the environment in the long run, but in a dry environment, that wouldn’t be good. They say they’re returning water to the environment, but that’s not the same environment that’s removing it.”

Stellar’s group sues the US Environmental Protection Agency to deny permission for the mines it needs to operate.