TUCSON — Pima County authorities are poised to allow a proposed copper mine to operate along the Catalina Mountains.

WASHINGTON – More than 300 Navajo Nation jobs are at stake because of “excessively stringent and expensive” regulations the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed for the San Juan power plant, a tribal official testified Wednesday.

TOMBSTONE — A Tombstone official says the city has Forest Service permission to do limited additional work to protect a spring-fed water system in the Huachuca Mountains near Sierra Vista in southeastern Arizona.

Arizona officials say the state is suing the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission for state permit and Clean Water Act violations caused by allowing untreated industrial wastewater to cross the U.S. border from Mexico at Nogales.

State authorities are investigating whether a recently formed group funded by a politically connected mining company violated Arizona’s campaign-finance laws.

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors is looking to appoint someone to replace Bryan Martyn, who recently accepted a position as director of Arizona State Parks.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer says low rainfall, high temperatures and wind will make the coming months ripe for damaging wildfires.

The governor said Wednesday this year’s below-average snowfall has increased the potential for large blazes in the state’s higher elevations.

A federal agency is backing a request from Gov. Jan Brewer to declare a drought disaster that will help ranchers and farmers.

Mining companies and other businesses will be allowed to keep environmental studies secret, even if they detail possible pollution problems, under industry-backed legislation that gained final House approval Monday.

Under the measure headed to Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, environmental audits generally could not be used as evidence in civil cases.

WASHINGTON – Arizona’s senators urged tribal leaders Thursday to move quickly on a proposed settlement of water-rights claims so they can push the bill through Congress before this session ends.

In separate closed-door meetings with Navajo and Hopi leaders in Tuba City, Republican Sens. Jon Kyl and John McCain stressed the importance of quick action, said those who attended the meetings.