Activists Submit 17,000 Signatures to Call for Shutdown of Uranium Mine Near Grand Canyon

Although the Grand Canyon National Monument designation protects nearly a million acres of federal land from new mining claims, Pinyon Plain was one of the few to receive legal protection.

“It’s the Grand Canyon. “It is our state’s namesake, and our state’s governor must assert leadership and close this mine…Continued pollution of the Grand Canyon aquifers is not a risk we should take,” he said. declared.

The mine opened in 1986 but began extracting ore for the first time in January. For nearly forty years, the Havasupai tribe has called for its closure, citing potential contamination of its waters by uranium. Carletta Tilousi, former Havasupai tribal councilor, spent decades being the voice of her community. She says the stakes are too high here.

“The Redwall-Muav Aquifer is one of the largest aquifers in the southwest that many citizens of the state of Arizona rely on,” Tilousi said. “The city of Phoenix, Las Vegas and the region really need to be aware that there is mining activity, and if we do not come together to meet the need for clean water, the future of our population will be very dangerous .”