Report: Grand Canyon Threatened by Approval of Uranium Mining Activities


 

Publication Date: February 2008

Publisher: Environmental Working Group

Author(s): Dusty Horwitt

Research Area: Environment

Keywords: mining; uranium; Grand Canyon

Type: Report

Abstract:

In an ominous move, the Forest Service has approved drilling for uranium at as many as 39 sites near the Grand Canyon’s south rim, marking what may be the beginning of a rush to mine the radioactive mineral near the iconic National Park.

The approvals were granted to VANE Minerals, a British firm, and highlight the vulnerability of even our most sacred places to global demand for minerals under the antiquated Mining Law of 1872. To make matters worse, the Forest Service specifically excluded these projects from public and environmental review under the National Environmental Policy Act.