Grand Canyon Issues
What Can You Do?
Write comments to support Secretary Salazar’s proposed ban on new uranium claims within Grand Canyon watersheds and call your congressional representatives and ask them to support the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act.
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When asked to comment on the legislation, Grand Canyon Superintendent Steve Martin said: “There should be some places that you just do not mine. Uranium is a special concern because it is both a toxic heavy metal and a source of radiation. I worry about uranium escaping into the local water, and about its effect on fish in the Colorado River at the bottom of the gorge, and on the bald eagles, California condors and bighorn sheep that depend on the Canyon’s seeps and springs. More than a third of the canyon’s species would be affected if water quality suffered.”
We are leading an extremely effective advocacy strategy to prevent new uranium development on public lands adjacent to Grand Canyon.
The Trust’s work has been featured in broadcast and print stories and editorials as we have supported legislation, initiated legal actions, and organized opposition to prevent thousands of new mining clams from threatening ground and surface waters, wildlife habitat, and visitors’ use and enjoyment of the Grand Canyon.
Uranium withdrawal legislation
Early in 2008, the Trust launched a campaign to withdraw federal land around Grand Canyon National Park from future mining and mineral leases. We first succeeded in convincing the Coconino County Board of Supervisors to pass a unanimous resolution asking Congress to withdraw the lands in the Tusayan Ranger District and House Rock Valley from mineral entry.
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Arizona Congressman Raul Grijalva introduced the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act (GCWPA) in 2008. The bill would withdraw from mining 628,886 acres in the Kanab Creek area; 112,655 acres managed by the BLM in House Rock Valley; and 327,367 acres in the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National Forest.
In May 2010, the Grand Canyon Trust organized and sponsored a trip with the Havasupai Chairwoman and council members to Washington, DC. We met with key sponsors of the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act in the House, potential Senate sponsors, and agency officials in EPA and DOI.
Administrative withdrawal
In 2009, Secretary of the Interior Salazar announced his decision to “segregate” nearly 1 million acres of federal lands designated for withdrawal in the Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act for 2 years while the Department evaluates whether to withdraw these lands from new mining claims for an additional 20 years. On February 18, 2011, the DOI released its DEIS outlining four alternatives. Please join the Grand Canyon Trust in writing to support Alternative B, the Proposed Action.
Pending lawsuit
In April 2010, the Grand Canyon Trust, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and the Kaibab Paiute Tribe filed for a preliminary injunction to halt uranium mining from the Arizona 1 Mine located near Kanab Creek a few miles north of Grand Canyon National Park. Our lawsuit was filed last fall against the BLM’s authorization of the mine’s opening without new environmental reviews after more than two decades since it was mothballed. We later filed a motion to amend our complaint, adding the Havasupai Tribe as a plaintiff.
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