There are more than 1,000 uranium mining claims within five miles of Grand Canyon National Park.
Mining for uranium this close to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon could devastate tourism, which produces over half a billion dollars for the economy and could allow toxins into the most critical source of drinking water in the West, leading to water contamination for nearly 30 million people.
Not to mention the devastating impact this would have on the eco-system of one of our most iconic national parks.
It is necessary to update the antiquated 1872 mining law, and pass a new Grand Canyon Protection Act which was first put into legislation in 1992.
The U.S. Geological Survey found in its 2005 SCORE Report that Modified Low Fluctuating Flows (MLFF, the flows coming through the dam since 1996) are destroying beaches, backwater habitats, humpback chub habitat, and other Grand Canyon resources. U.S. Fish & Wildlife's 1994 Biological Opinion determined that MLFF dam operations jeopardize the humpback chub, destroy its critical habitat in the Grand Canyon, and impede the chub's recovery.
On March 30, 2009 President Obama signed into law the Omnibus Public Land Management Act.
Once enacted, two million acres of land will be designated wilderness in nine states, which is the largest expansion of the National Wilderness Preservation System in 15 years. However, the package of bills goes beyond wilderness designations. It also designates national heritage areas, national scenic trails, and national conservation areas. In total, the omnibus includes more than 160 different bills, including the Rocky Mountain National Park Wilderness Area outside Estes Park and Dominguez Canyon Wilderness Area outside Grand Junction.
With national interest and urging I am sure we can get the White House to proceed with protecting the Grand Canyon as well by ending nearby uranium mining.
Straight from the mouths of the folks at Sierra Club...
"By now you already know about the disastrous "midnight regulations" the Bush Administration is ramming through in their last few weeks in office.
But just last week - after a whispered announcement and just 15 days of public comment - the Bush administration began preparing a rule that could allow the Grand Canyon to be defaced by uranimum mining."
Upon further reading I found out a little bit more about this disastrous decision.
Environmentalists fear that uranium mining could adversely harm the national park and have a negative impact on the Colorado River, which provides drinking water to residents in Arizona, Nevada and California.
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona said, "This last-minute change puts at risk the health of millions of citizens of the West who rely on the Colorado River of the Grand Canyon for their drinking water supply, as well as visitors to the Park and tribal communities within and around the Grand Canyon."
Also, the Grand Canyon is currently a healthy breeding ground for many different types of birds, including condors.
The state of Virginia is currently having a fight over the very same type of mining. Scientists say uranium has never been mined anywhere safely. Waste products left over from uranium processing, called tailings, would have to be contained, and the liquid waste would be impounded in massive slurry ponds. The Southern Environmental Law Center (SELC) stated these wastes pose the risk of spreading through wind or leakage.
Uranium waste sites would have to be monitored forever, and any cleanup or remediation will be at taxpayer expense.
