In defiance of legal challenges and a U.S. Government moratorium, Canadian company Denison Mines has started mining uranium on the north rim of the Grand Canyon. According to the Arizona Daily Sun the mine has been operating since December 2009.
Drilling for the radioactive material has been found to contaminate underground aquifers that drain into the Colorado River, and sacred springs that have sustained Indigenous Peoples in the region. In addition, surface water can flow into drill holes and mine shafts which can also poison underground water sources.
"Uranium mining poses one of the greatest risks to Grand Canyon National Park in decades," said Roger Clark of the Grand Canyon Trust. "It threatens to contaminate park waters with radioactive waste, poses public-health problems for local residents and downstream communities dependent upon the Colorado River, and endangers the park's unique ecosystems." In addition, many species rely on this drinking water, including Endangered Species which are supposed to be protected under United States law.
Today there are more than 2,000 abandoned uranium mines in the Southwest. U.S. government agencies have done little or nothing to clean up contaminated sites and abandoned mines. At Rare Metals near Tuba City on the Diné (Navajo) Nation a layer of soil and rock is the only covering over 2.3 million tons of hazardous waste.
Tell Arizona Goveror Jan Brewer to protect the Grand Canyon from toxic mining and to hold companies responsible for clean-up of abandoned mines.
The Honorable Jan Brewer
Governor of Arizona
1700 West Washington
Phoenix, Arizona 85007
Telephone (602) 542-4331
Toll Free 1-(800) 253-0883 (within Arizona only)
Fax (602) 542-1381
E-mail http://azgovernor.gov/Contact.asp
