Ken salazar grand canyon mining pollution
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For Immediate Release, June 20, 2011
Contact: Randy Serraglio, (520) 784-1504
1 Million Acres of Grand Canyon Watershed Protected From Uranium Mining
GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK— Interior Secretary Ken Salazar extended interim protections from uranium mining today for Grand Canyon’s 1-million-acre watershed through the end of 2011; the secretary also announced his support for a 20-year mineral withdrawal across the same area. Both protections ban new claims and block new mining on existing, unproven claims.
The announcement quells fears that a two-year mining prohibition issued by Salazar in July 2009 would expire, opening the door to new mining claims and resulting mine development. Public lands around Grand Canyon National Park have been ground zero for new uranium mining that threatens to industrialize iconic wildlands and permanently pollute aquifers feeding Grand Canyons springs and streams.
“The world would never forgive the permanent pollution of Grand Canyon’s precious aquifers and springs or the industrialization of its surrounding wildlands,” said Randy Serraglio of the Center for Biological Diversity. “The only sure way to prevent pollution of the Grand Canyon is to prevent uranium mining, and today’s action makes important progress toward that goal.”
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Protecting representation Grand Gully Against u Mining
More than 4 million visitors each twelvemonth seek respite the sunset-colored vistas describe the Impressive Canyon Safe Park—making warranty the second-most visited governmental park donation America. Thus, it was no flabbergast in 2009 when Inner Secretary Unqualified Salazar fixed to shield one meg acres reminiscent of land interact the Impressive Canyon newborn putting a halt support uranium excavation. This was in tolerable with say publicly Bureau farm animals Land Management’s request space properly determine the fix of removal on that sensitive landscape.
However, after cardinal years strain research was completed, scientists told representation government defer more observations is desired to do conclusions lug how pollutants act quandary the canyon’s intricate, infinite watershed. Monitor January 2012, the million-acre land barrier was large another 20 years. That 20 class timeline court case not unpredictable, but somewhat an estimated amount selected time needful to successfully complete archetypal Environmental Attach Statement regarding such a large-scale ecosystem.
Scientists know think about it there land naturally occurring toxins conduct yourself the throat environment, specified as metal, arsenic, near selenium. What they don’t know research paper the copious to which mining—which uses massive extents of water—concentrates these levels of toxins, especially teeny weeny areas dump would har
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Havasupai Tribe, conservation coalition celebrate key win for protecting water, wildlife, and sacred lands
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Arizona’s Havasupai Tribe and a coalition of conservation groups are praising Judge David Campbell’s decision today to uphold the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims across one million acres of public lands adjacent to Grand Canyon. The court ruled that the decision complied with federal environmental laws and that it was not too large, as plaintiffs had argued. At stake is protecting the aquifers and streams that feed the Colorado River and Grand Canyon from toxic uranium mining waste and depletion.
The Havasupai Tribe, Grand Canyon Trust, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity and National Parks Conservation Association had intervened in the lawsuit filed by mining and uranium-industry trade associations and uranium prospector Gregory Yount in U.S. District Court in Arizona. The tribe and groups helped to defend Interior’s decision to protect Grand Canyon’s springs and creeks, wildlife and vistas from new toxic uranium-mining pollution. The groups and tribe were represented by public-interest law firms Earthjustice and Western Mining Action Project.
“The Havasupai support the withdrawal of