Wetlands destruction, stream alterations, and more:
In their preparations alone, Highland Copper has already been fined for violating permits and degrading wetlands.
At least one of the affected streams is home to an endangered species.
The data show that more than a third of all tailings dams are at high risk of causing catastrophic damage, and that, despite advances in technology, risk of serious failure is "increasing at a rate of twenty times every thirty years."