Grand Canyon uranium ban decision expected Monday

However, reported The Times, there is dispute over whether uranium contamination detected in the area is human-caused or natural:

The Center for Biological Diversity, an environmental group, says that at least one creek in Grand Canyon National Park, immediately below an old site known as the Orphan Mine, is contaminated with levels of uranium more than 10 times the federal limit.

Lee Allison, Arizona’s state geologist, citing his office’s work, questioned whether any Colorado River pollution from mining would be detectable, given that about 60 tons of natural uranium flow down the river each year.

The story notes that about a dozen existing mines would probably be able to operate despite the ban. Denison Mines Corp. secured permits needed to reopen three uranium mines near the Grand Canyon back in March 2011.

MINING.com reported in October that Republican senators and congressmen including Sen. John McCain, who represents Arizona, introduced a bill to counter an effort by the Department of the Interior to remove mining rights from the region in northern Arizona, which borders Grand Canyon National Park:

“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.”