House committee approves permanent ban on mining Grand Canyon

Imperiled by efforts of the Trump administration’s Interior department to drill or mine near sensitive national treasures, a House committee markup today advanced legislation to protect the Grand Canyon in Arizona from the persistent threat of uranium mining.

Conservation groups oppose uranium mining in the sensitive and stunningly beautiful area around Grand Canyon National Park because it would pollute aquifers that feed springs and streams. Mining would also likely contaminate drinking water supplies, destroy crucial wildlife habitat and disrupt migration corridors, and devastate the local tourism-based economy. Despite this, the Interior Department has said it would try to fast-track permits to open more places like the Grand Canyon to minerals mining. 

“The Grand Canyon is a natural wonder and one of America’s most spectacular landscapes. Stretching across hundreds of thousands of acres of northern Arizona, this area is one of the wildest and most ecologically significant regions in the West,” said Mike Quigley, Arizona state director for The Wilderness Society. “The health of places like the Grand Canyon and Bears Ears and of neighboring communities is jeopardized by uranium mining. To permanently protect these places, we are also urging Congress to prohibit Interior from deeming uranium a critical mineral by passing H.R. 3405.”

In addition to the Grand Canyon bill, the committee also approved legislation that would remove uranium from a list of federal critical minerals. The bill would have the effect of further shielding the Grand Canyon and other treasures like Bears Ears from the devastating effects of hard rock mining. 

The Wilderness Society is urging the House to pass the bills approved today by the committee:

•    H.R. 1373 (Rep. Grijalva), To protect, for current and future generations, the watershed, ecosystem, and cultural heritage of the Grand Canyon region in the State of Arizona, and for other purposes. “Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act”

•    H.R. 3405 (Rep. Grijalva), To direct the Secretary of the Interior to revise the Final List of Critical Minerals, and for other purposes. “Removing Uranium from the Critical Minerals List Act.” 

For more information on Grand Canyon and other iconic American landscapes at risk from proposed drilling and mining, visit TWS’ Too Wild to Drill site.   

Contact: Tony Iallonardo, 202-429-2969 or email tony_iallonardo@tws.org.