Legislators fight for mining rights near the Grand Canyon
Republican senators and member’s of congress introduced a bill to counter an effort by the Department of the Interior to remove mining rights from a region in northern Arizona, which borders Grand Canyon National Park.
U.S. Senators John McCain (R-AZ), Orrin Hatch (R-UT) and Mike Lee (R-UT) and U.S. Congressmen Trent Franks (AZ-02), Rob Bishop (UT-01), Jeff Flake (AZ-06), Paul Gosar (AZ-01), David Schweikert (AZ-05) and Ben Quayle (AZ-03) unveiled the Northern Arizona Mining Continuity Act on Wednesday.
“This legislation will stop the U.S. Department of the Interior from banning mining in a vast area of Arizona, and killing jobs in the uranium mining industry,” said the group in a joint statement.
Currently the Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is considering withdrawing mining rights in the area, which is close to the Grand Canyon National Park, due to ecological concerns.
“The Department’s proposed mining withdrawal would kill hundreds of potential jobs to ‘save’ the Grand Canyon from the same form of uranium mining that conservation groups once supported,” said Senator McCain. “It also threatens to unravel the spirit of the Arizona Wilderness Act and will raise significant questions for future Wilderness bills if agreements to accommodate responsible land uses are neither genuine nor enduring.”
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3 Comments
Meekermike
Lets hope some common sense and real science will prevail here in the face of ludicrous fear mongering by the so-called green groups, who are really professional activists opposed to mining anything, anywhere, anytime.
Johngustavson1
I used to say: “Let them freeze in the dark”, but now I realize that I would freeze with them, too, so let us say NO to the NGO’s (or is it to their EGO’s?).
sln
I think Arizona should be able to mine 100% of the state. It would be good for the state, and no one would need to consider vacationing there. Good for everybody.