How does the Arizona Centennial Museum “save” Arizona's mineral collection?

On Wednesday July 21, 2010, Governor Brewer included the following statement in prepared remarks presented to the Arizona Rock Products Association:

“---- we’re saving the very important mineral collection in the Mine and Mineral Museum by assembling a broader coalition of Arizona industries to raise private capital and create a Centennial Museum based on the 5 C’s.”

Really?

To those of us not privy to the secret meetings (see Aug 7 blog posting) that created the Centennial Museum, it looks like the threat to the States historic and scientifically significant mineral collection is the Centennial Museum. Now, we are told the Centennial Museum is going to save the mineral collection. From what?

The bill establishing the Centennial Museum became law last week. As a result, the mineral collection appears to be split between two state agencies in some inexplicable way. One of those agencies does not have appropriate technical qualifications. Furthermore, the collection has been separated from the supporting documents that gave it scientific value. Yet we are told that some coalition of centennial museum supporters is “saving” the mineral collection.

Where is the coalition of industries that are going to fund the ‘saving”? When the centennial museum bill was pushed through the legislature last spring, there was no funding for it. None. Somehow, the bill passed anyhow.

Now the Governor has supposedly assembled a “coalition” of industries to fund whatever it is that is going to happen. Who are these companies? Why are they hiding? How much have they contributed? How will contributions to the centennial museum “save” the mineral collection?

Does the Governor really understand the current status of the centennial museum project? If she does, could she please provide some detail to explain what is happening?