The US administration announced Monday a 20-year ban on new mining projects around the Grand Canyon, in a move aimed at protecting the prized tourist area from the impact of uranium extraction. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the move would "protect the iconic Grand Canyon and its vital watershed from the potential adverse effects of additional uranium and other hard rock mining on over one million acres," or 400,000 hectares.
The move "is the right approach for this priceless American landscape," Salazar said. "People from all over the country and around the world come to visit the Grand Canyon. Numerous American Indian tribes regard this magnificent icon as a sacred place and millions of people in the Colorado River Basin depend on the river for drinking water, irrigation, industrial and environmental use.
"We have been entrusted to care for and protect our precious environmental and cultural resources, and we have chosen a responsible path that makes sense for this and future generations." Jane Danowitz of the Pew Environmental Group said the announcement means "Americans can celebrate today that the Grand Canyon is protected for future generations to enjoy." She also called for reform of "the nation's antiquated mining law," which she said gives the industry "unfettered access to the majority of public lands in the west."
Salazar imposed a two-year moratorium on new mining around the Grand Canyon in 2009, to give his department time to study a long-term ban. In June, he extended the moratorium for an additional six months. The ban does not prohibit previously approved uranium mining, and new projects that could be approved on claims and sites with valid existing rights, the agency said. Other types of mineral extraction and geothermal energy could be done in the area, the agency said.
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