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Pima County will not oppose a Canadian company's efforts to mine copper at Rosemont Ranch in the Santa Rita Mountains.

At least for now.

A majority on the county Board of Supervisors said Tuesday that they wanted to hear more from the mining company about its proposed environmental mitigation, including setting aside $50 million or more to preserve open space in other parts of the county, before they make a decision.

Supervisor Ray Carroll had proposed a resolution opposing any mining activity in the area, but in a 4-1 vote, the other supervisors said they wanted to see County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry's assessment of the plan before making a decision.

"Ultimately, this board may not choose to support this, but taking this action at this time leaves the impression we're having these discussions in bad faith," Supervisor Ramon Vala-dez said.

The decision provoked an angry response from Carroll after the meeting.

"For me, the Santa Ritas aren't for sale, no matter the development or the mitigation or the promises," he said.

Huckelberry said that's not the point.

"The point is that's federal land and subject to federal mining law," he said. "It's open to exploitation."

Augusta Resource Corp. privately owns some of the approximately 4,000 acres that the mine would affect, while the rest is federal land managed by the U.S. Forest Service, which will have the final say on the plan. Augusta submitted a plan of operation in August and is in the process of doing an environmental-impact study and an in-depth feasibility study.

Huckelberry said he told Augusta representatives that the county has five conditions for supporting the plan:

● Augusta must comply with the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan, meaning that for every acre it disturbs, it must preserve additional land, 2 acres for every acre of multiuse land, up to 20 acres for every acre of riparian land.

● Augusta can't pump groundwater and must import water from outside the Cienega Basin.

● Augusta must establish an environmental endowment. Huckelberry said the company has promised $54 million, and he would like to see $100 million.

● Augusta must practice continuous reclamation rather than leave the pits open during the life of the mine.

● Augusta must provide buffering to protect views.

Jamie Sturgess, vice president for projects and environment at Augusta, said the company has not agreed to every condition but felt an agreement could be reached.

"As we move forward, it's a balance of production and preservation," he said.

He stressed that Augusta's plans are different from those in an Asarco proposal that caused public outcry in the late 1990s.

Augusta has Central Arizona Project credits for the water and plans extensive mitigation, he said.

As Sturgess addressed the board, several dozen proponents of the plan, many of the mining-company employees, stood behind him. They stressed the high-paying jobs and economic development the mine would bring.

But Richard Calabro of Green Valley said the benefits are not enough to make up for the environmental effects.

"It's very clear that mining in the Rosemont Valley is contradictory to the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan," he said.

Sturgess said later that he hopes Pima County approves of the plan.

"We don't really need the county's approval, but I've always been a believer in cooperative effort," he said. "We certainly don't want their opposition."

Emily Brott of the Sonoran Institute said she would meet this week with representatives of Augusta, and she didn't want to comment on the board's decision until learning more about the proposal.

But David Hodges, policy director for the Sky Island Alliance, said he had heard the line about environmentally friendly mining before, and he wasn't buying it.

"We are extremely disappointed in their decision not to take a stronger stance," Hodges said of the Board of Supervisors.

And about the mining proposal, he said: "They're going to dig a big hole in the ground. They're going to destroy vegetation. They're going to use a lot of water. There's no way around it. Once you start large-scale mining, you permanently alter an area."