U.S. appeals court rejects bid to block land swap for Rio's Arizona copper mine
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March 1 (Reuters) - A U.S. appeals court on Friday ruled that the federal government may give away thousands of acres in Arizona to Rio Tinto Plc for a copper mine, upholding a previous ruling and rejecting a request from Native Americans who said the land has religious and cultural import.
The San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals' ruling essentially defers to a 2014 decision made by the U. S. Congress and then-President Barack Obama to give the land to Rio for its Resolution Copper project. (Reporting by Ernest Scheyder; Editing by Leslie Adler)
