Hear Me Out: Should there be uranium mining near Grand Canyon?

PHOENIX - Each Sunday, ABC15.com debuts an Arizona issue - along with two opposing sides on the topic.

Don’t worry, you always have the opportunity to make comments at the bottom of the page. Yeah, your opinion matters, too.

This week we’re tackling the debate on whether or not an extension of a moratorium on uranium mining near the Grand Canyon is good for Arizona. 

In January, the Obama administration banned uranium mining near the Grand Canyon for the next 20 years. It would put a million acres outside the national park off limits to any hard-rock mining operations.

Some hail the moratorium as the right choice to protect the environment while others say it is a job killer.

Steven Arnquist, Executive Director of the Arizona League of Conservation Voters and Education Fund, says he supports the moratorium. He says mining near the Grand Canyon puts a national treasure at risk, as well as drinking water for nearby communities.

Arizona Congressman Trent Franks, (R-D2) says he opposes the plan, saying it will cost Mohave County a thousand jobs and billions of dollars in revenue.

Click “next page” to read the first of two positions, “Moratorium costing county thousands of jobs ”.

It should perhaps not be surprising that an Administration with such consistently misguided priorities (energy and otherwise) would deem the seizure of 1 million acres of uranium rich land (containing enough uranium to singlehandedly power the state of Arizona for 80 years) a good idea.

Whether telling Brazil we'd be their number one customer for oil while blocking domestic drilling efforts, obstructing the vital Keystone Pipeline, or seizing this vast swath of land, President Obama seems to be doing everything he can to stand in the way of our domestic energy production. Nonetheless, it must be pointed out that this decision has all the unfortunate hallmarks of so many Obama policies, harming our economic, national security, and energy interests in one fell swoop.

For starters, the ill-conceived initiative will cost the community 1,000 jobs and about $30 billion in revenue, even as Mohave County already suffers through a 10.6% unemployment rate (with rates in some areas in excess of 23%), courtesy of the Obama economy.

To make matters even worse, the draconian initiative seeks to address a problem that doesn’t actually exist. The Administration claims its reasons are environmental, but for decades, uranium mines have operated without impacting the surrounding parks. Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Arizona have shown no threat to the surrounding water supply by mining this uranium, and there has been NO evidence from the Bureau of Land Management evidencing the unsafe operation of these uranium mines.

Specifically, studies by Dr. Charles Sanchez and Dr. John Chesley of the University of Arizona have shown no threat to the Colorado River by mining this uranium. According to their results, uranium levels "in the main channel of the Colorado River are generally consistent with the normal weathering of uranium containing geomedia within the watershed and rule against major contamination from uranium mines." Regarding agriculture soils in the Lower Colorado River Region, the study concludes "no increase in bioavailable uranium after 35 years of irrigation and fertilization." Regarding uranium exposure to food crops, the study concludes "potential uranium exposure to vegetable and food crops produced in the Lower Colorado River Region are negligible relative to health risks."

In 1984, Congress passed the Arizona Wilderness Act that specifically recognized the uranium potential of 490,000 acres of BLM land and 500,000 acres of Forest Service lands by releasing them from wilderness study classification so that they could be mined. The bill was a collaborative effort that included the mining and livestock industries, the National Parks Conservation Association, the Wilderness Society, and the Sierra Club. To this day, uranium mining activities on these lands have a record of productive operation and successful reclamation without impacting the environment or our awe-inspiring National Parks.

Perhaps most importantly, this terribly ill-conceived plan is a national security threat. The United States currently imports 90 percent of our nation's uranium from overseas. 90 percent! That means the 104 nuclear reactors in our country and many defense applications are wholly dependent on our ability to get uranium from other countries – including, rather ironically, from countries that don't like us very much. Just thirty years ago, the United States was mining 100% of the uranium needed for its own electricity production. Despite the undeniable realities of the situation, it seems this Administration is set on ensuring that trend continues for decades to come.

Unfortunately, common sense has thus far failed to deter the Administration in this regard, as Mr. Obama continues to place the concerns of a few radical environmentalists over our own national security and energy security interests. But this is far too important an issue, both to Arizonans specifically, and Americans collectively, to stand idly by, which is why I will continue to work toward passage of the Northern Arizona Mining Continuity Act of 2011 (H.R. 3155) and toward the restoration of a more energy independent, more prosperous America.

Do you agree with this opinion? Add a comment below to sound off.

Click “next page” to read the second position, “Mining is an unsustainable economic activity ”.