Red Lodge Clearinghouse

The "Grand Canyon Watersheds Protection Act of 2008" (H.R. 5583), floated by Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D) on Monday, would bar uranium mining on Kaibab National Forest's Tusayan Ranger District, just south of the canyon, Bureau of Land Management lands in the Kanab Creek watershed north of the park, and House Rock Valley, between Grand Canyon National Park and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.

The bill comes in response to concerns from local, state and tribal officials who are grappling with a new uranium boom in the region. Prompted by renewed interest in nuclear power, uranium prices have soared from $3 per pound to more than $80 per pound in the past five years.

On the Tusayan Ranger District, just south of Grand Canyon, mining companies have proposed five uranium exploration projects. Environmental groups filed suit over one of the exploration projects last week (Greenwire, March 13). The lawsuit contends that the Forest Service violated the National Environmental Policy Act when it authorized Vane Minerals Group to drill up to 39 holes at seven sites.

Mining in the area during the last uranium boom, in the mid-20th century, has been linked to a spike in cancer rates in the Navajo Nation. "The federal government and mining companies still have not adequately dealt with the cleanup of old uranium mine sites on the Navajo Nation and other areas that are causing ongoing health problems," Grijalva said in a statement. "Until these issues are resolved, we should not move forward with new mines, especially next to the crown jewel of our national park system."

In February, Coconino County's board of supervisors passed a resolution opposing uranium mining in the vicinity of Grand Canyon National Park and asked Congress to put the area off limits to uranium development.

Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano (D) also opposes new mining activity in the region. Earlier this month, she sent a letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne asking the department to suspend mining until it completes an environmental analysis. She urged Interior to impose a 20-year moratorium on mining if the study finds it will result in negative effects.

Federal land management agencies have repeatedly said they have no power to stop mining proposals because of rights conveyed by the 1872 Mining Law. The Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee last week heard testimony on legislation proposed to reform the law.

Sandy Bahr, conservation outreach director for the Sierra Club's Grand Canyon Chapter, said Grijalva's bill is crucial for protecting the area around the canyon. "This is an important step to ensure that the watershed is not denigrated by additional uranium mining," she said.

David Gowdey of the Grand Canyon Trust said expanded uranium mining could contaminate the Colorado River and its tributaries within the park and pose health problems for downstream communities dependent on the river.

Grijalva will hold a field hearing in Flagstaff, Ariz., on Friday focusing on the effects of uranium mining near the Grand Canyon. The joint hearing will be held by the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources and the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands, which Grijalva chairs.

The uranium bill has been referred to the Natural Resources Committee.

April Reese writes from Santa Fe, N.M.

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