More than 1 million acres of federal land near the Grand Canyon will be off limits to new mining claims for 20 years under a proposal supported by the Bureau of Land Management and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
On Wednesday, the BLM released a final environmental impact statement supporting the proposal, although the favored alternative in the FEIS does not affect existing claims and previously approved mining operations.
“Uranium remains an important part of our nation’s comprehensive energy resources, but it is appropriate to pause, identify what the predicted level of mining and its impacts on the Grand Canyon would be, and decide what level of risk is acceptable to take with this national treasure. The preferred alternative would allow for cautious, continued development with strong oversight that could help us fill critical gaps in our knowledge about water quality and environmental impacts of uranium mining in the area,” BLM director Bob Abbey said in a release.
The land in question involves three parcels north of Grand Canyon National Park on BLM Arizona strip lands and in the Kaibab National Forest. Although the proposal would exempt the land from entry under the 1872 Mining Law, according to the release, it would not affect the potential development of mineral leases.
Four mines have been approved on the land. Including those, the BLM estimates as many as 11 uranium mines could operate there under the proposal. The agency began studying the impact of mineral extraction in the area in 2009, and the recommendations of the FEIS will now go to Salazar for a final decision. Meanwhile, Arizona Senator John McCain and other Republicans have proposed legislation that would block the withdrawal.