Please join us at the public meeting:
October 15 – Flagstaff – 6 p.m. to 8
p.m.
High Country Conference Center, 201 West Butler
Avenue
The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has issued a Notice of
Intent to begin preparation of an Environmental Impact Statement
(EIS) addressing potential effects of the proposed withdrawal of
Federal lands from mineral exploration and mining near the Grand
Canyon in Arizona.
The U.S. Department of Interior is proposing to withdraw
about one million acres of public lands next to the Grand Canyon
from development under the 1872 Mining Law. The withdrawal would
prevent more than 10,000 uranium claims that have yet to be
validated from exploratory drilling and prohibit new claims from
being filed.
The withdrawal would stop industrialization of public lands
that surround Grand Canyon National Park. It would prevent
further contamination of three major watersheds that drain
directly into the Grand Canyon and Colorado River, which
provides drinking water to 25 million people in the Southwest.
It would protect fragile natural areas and sensitive habitat for
endangered birds such as the California condor and Mexican
spotted owl.
Past uranium development has harmed the land, water, and
lives of native people who have lived in the Grand Canyon region
for centuries. The proposed withdrawal is supported by
Havasupai, Hualapai, Kaibab-Paiute, Navajo, and Hopi
leaders.
State and regional water managers oppose new threats to the
Colorado River. Wildlife managers, hunting and fishing groups,
and outdoor recreationists are also expressing their concerns
about uranium development around the Grand Canyon. The proposed
withdrawal is supported by business leaders who rely on Grand
Canyon tourism to sustain the region’s economy and by
county supervisors, local officials, and two-thirds of
Arizona’s voters according to a June 2009 study by Public
Opinion Strategies.
Please join these concerned citizens and the Grand Canyon
Trust in expressing your support for the proposed mining
withdrawal by attending the public meeting, emailing your
comments to:
