Gabby Brown, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org
Washington, DC -- Today, the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources voted in support of three bills that would limit dirty fuels extraction in the areas surrounding the Grand Canyon and Chaco Canyon.
The Chaco Cultural Heritage Area Protection Act (H.R. 2181) would ban new leasing and drilling on federal lands within the Proposed Chaco Protection Zone, a 10-mile buffer zone surrounding Chaco Culture National Historical Park.
"Expanded fracking in Greater Chaco is a threat to our region's rich cultural history, community health, and Indigenous rights," said Sierra Club Rio Grande Chapter Director Camilla Feibelman. "We applaud this important step towards protecting Greater Chaco and the people who live there, and we will continue to work towards achieving permanent protection for the broader Chaco landscape."
The Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act (H.R. 1373) would permanently protect nearly 1 million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon from new mineral extraction, particularly toxic uranium.
The Removing Uranium from the Critical Minerals List Act (H.R. 3405) would remove uranium from the Administration’s list of critical minerals, where it was placed as part of a wide-ranging plan to remove existing protections from mining in some of the West’s most iconic public lands, including Grand Canyon in Arizona and Bears Ears in Utah.
“Sierra Club is thrilled to see bills move forward that not only protect the Grand Canyon, but other places as well by removing uranium from the critical minerals list,” said Sandy Bahr, chapter director for Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “These are important steps to permanently protect the public lands surrounding Grand Canyon from uranium mining pollution. Preventing more toxic pollution and cleaning up existing contamination on public, Navajo, Havasupai, and Hopi lands, must be a top priority. We hope Senator Sinema will now show leadership and introduce the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act in the Senate to establish a legacy of safeguarding Grand Canyon.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.