The door to Rose Canyon has been opened to Kennecott.

The Salt Lake County Council approved an agreement Tuesday that allows the copper-mining company to begin exploration of a patch of public land in the south valley.

The agreement ends the fierce fight between the company and County Mayor Peter Corroon, who oversaw the county's $8.7 million purchase of 1,700 acres of untouched land in the Oquirrh Mountains, only to have Kennecott file about 70 mining claims in the area.

"I'm still opposed" to mining the area, Corroon said Monday, following the council's 6-3 approval of the agreement. "But under the federal laws, mineral rights trump surface rights."

Ultimately, however, the accord will give the county final say over what happens to the land, he said.

Kennecott will now begin "noninvasive exploration" in Rose Canyon, said Louie Cononelos, the chief adviser of government affairs for Rio Tinto, Kennecott's parent company. The company plans to conduct aerial surveys and take geophysical readings and core samples.

About 800 acres of Kennecott's mineral rights overlap with the county's surface rights, and the mining efforts would not disturb the remaining 900 acres of public land, officials said.

"There's very minimal disturbance," Cononelos said.

If a potential target is located "a mine could be years if not decades away," he said.

Or it might not happen at all.

Under the agreement, the County Council would enter into negotiations with Kennecott if a target is found but could ultimately turn the mining company away, Corroon said.

"Overall this puts us in a better position," he said. "We ultimately can say no."

The mayor said he would prefer to see the area remain open space for hikers and horseback riders.

"It's a beautiful area and we want to preserve it," Corroon said. "The way the county is growing, I think we need a buffer zone between the mine and the urban area."

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