Much to the joy of environmentalists, the Obama administration is considering a 20-year ban on uranium mining near the Grand Canyon.

 

The Department of the Interior imposed a two-year moratorium in 2009 on uranium mining around the Grand Canyon because mining claims surrounding the park skyrocketed from 2005 to 2010 by 2000%. With that ban set to expire this year, the new one, covering one million acres of federal land, will last a minimum of six months, and could be extended into the future by two decades, depending on Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s final decision.

 

Joining environmentalists in their praise of establishing a 20-year moratorium were several city governments and Indian tribes, who fear uranium mining could damage drinking water and park water quality. Municipal water used by Los Angeles, San Diego, Phoenix, Las Vegas and Tucson flows through the area covered by the ban.

 

The U.S. imports the majority of its uranium from foreign countries, a fact the mining industry has used to criticize any move to create a long-term ban. Meanwhile, supporters of the moratorium have argued that global supplies of uranium are relatively abundant, with most of America’s imports coming from Canada.

 

Industry critics also will have a difficult time making their pitch for the administration not to ban the mining, given that the nuclear plant meltdown in Japan has weakened support for new nuclear power reactors in the U.S.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Proposed Mineral Withdrawal Near Grand Canyon National Park (Department of the Interior) (pdf)

Environmentalists Hail Grand Canyon Ruling (by Coral Davenport, Government Executive)

Uranium Mine Moratorium Extended at Grand Canyon (by John Broder, New York Times)