BENSON, Ariz.— A company has abandoned plans to construct a controversial aluminum recycling facility in Benson, Arizona, ending a yearlong fight led by residents concerned about threats to their health, groundwater supplies and the nearby San Pedro River.

“This victory belongs to the people of Benson who refused to accept the threat of toxic pollution and risks to their drinking water as the price of development,” said Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “They knocked on doors, challenged state and federal permits, went to court, voted and ultimately stopped this terrible project in its tracks. The community and the San Pedro River will be better off because people fought to protect the place they love.”

The aluminum facility was under construction near a nursing home and the San Pedro River, which provides habitat for millions of migratory birds and supports endangered species, including the threatened yellow-billed cuckoo. A company spokesperson confirmed the project’s cancellation to local media.

Residents and advocacy groups have criticized the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality for approving permits despite widespread public opposition and unresolved concerns about air pollution, groundwater use and other public health threats.

“This is another infuriating example of the department rubber stamping pollution rather than working on behalf of the people of Arizona,” said McSpadden. “Arizonans shouldn’t have to beg our environmental regulator to protect our health, water and air. We deserve an agency that stands up to industry instead of clearing the way for it.”

On June 5 the Center filed a notice of intent to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for failing to respond to a petition challenging the plant’s air pollution permit. The petition raised concerns about air pollution monitoring, enforceability of permit conditions and compliance with federal clean air protections.

The company’s decision to abandon the project follows sustained opposition from Health Over Wealth Benson and other community members, who helped reshape local leadership in response to the proposal.

In May voters recalled three Benson City Council members amid controversy over the aluminum plant and concerns about transparency in local decision-making. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes also opened an investigation into allegations that city officials violated the state’s open meeting law in connection with the project.

In August 2025, Health Over Wealth Benson and two Benson residents sued the City of Benson and Aluminum Dynamics over alleged zoning violations. That same month, the Center and San Pedro 100 challenged state groundwater approvals connected to the project and nearby development, arguing that additional groundwater pumping threatened the San Pedro River and its wildlife.