Sandy Bahr, sandy.bahr@sierraclub.org, (602) 999-5790
FLAGSTAFF, AZ-- Under the direction of Sec. Zinke, the Interior Department has included uranium and vanadium on a recently released list of 35 ‘critical minerals’ for national security. The list was meant to identify non-fuel minerals and is part of the Trump administration’s ongoing economic struggle with China over rare earth metals and resources.
In response Sandy Bahr, Grand Canyon Chapter Director, issued the following response.
“This is yet another effort to clear the way for more mining -- no matter the cost. Already on the lands around the Grand Canyon, industry is pushing to get thousands of uranium mining claims back on the table.
“We know first hand in Arizona the lasting toxic legacy left behind by uranium mining. There are hundreds of abandoned mines, particularly on the Navajo Nation, contaminating the land and harming people’s health. Areas remain littered with radioactive waste and water in some places is undrinkable.
“We cannot allow mining projects to skate through without public input under the guise of national security. The health of our communities, our waterways and our lands is too important, and the threat of uranium pollution’s toxic legacy is too permanent to ignore.”
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