Mining the Grand Canyon
The rush to pull uranium out of the West will put national park, Colorado River in danger
Mining claims in the West have more than doubled in the past five years, including a rash of claims staked near national parks.
The Los Angeles Times recently reported that on public land within five miles of the Grand Canyon there are more than 1,100 uranium mining claims, up from 10 claims five years ago.
Mining so close to the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River, which runs through the canyon, is a serious concern. Mining would not only scar the area but also leave it with a toxic legacy. Uranium is a heavy metal and is radioactive and, because many of the claims are in flood zones, it could easily be carried into the river.
Last month a federal judge put a temporary halt to exploratory drilling on seven sites near the canyon’s South Rim because of concerns about flooding, which could be catastrophic.
The river is the source of water for more than 18 million people in Arizona, California and Nevada and is used to irrigate more than 1 million acres of farmland. The river feeds Lake Mead, which provides about 90 percent of Southern Nevada’s water supply.
The rush to mine uranium has been stoked by the Bush administration, which is championing new nuclear power plants. The mining companies see a potential payday, but it would be at the expense of those living downstream.
Already the Colorado River has been victimized by uranium mining done to support the nuclear industry. The former Atlas mine was established in the 1950s on the banks of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. What is left of the mine is about 12 million cubic yards of uranium tailings and contaminated soil, which have leached into the river and the ground water for decades.
Letting such a thing happen to the Grand Canyon would be unconscionable. To protect the park and public health, Congress should step in and find a way to stop these mining claims from moving forward.
© Las Vegas Sun, 2008
The only people who want us to develop nuclear power are the contractors and some greedy Republicans. The US would have to insure the projects since ther is not an insurance company on earth that would insure them. More financial risk on the US taxpayer. The waste is an immense problem, since we cannot build enough munitions with the DU to use it all up. Where in the hell are we going to store it?
There should not be any uranium mines anywhere near the most important natural wonders of this world. It is insanity of the first magnitude to want to mine uranium for more nukes whether it is for power or bombs.
What would Hayduke do?
“The waste is an immense problem, since we cannot build enough munitions with the DU to use it all up.” Where’s your faith in good old American know how? Perhaps more munitions factories are in order? There’s no reason why ALL of the nuclear waste in the world can’t be made into bullets and shot into poor women and children elsewhere, perhaps from helicopters. Problem solved. GO USA!
“The only people who want us to develop nuclear power are the contractors and some greedy Republicans. ”
What utter bunk. There are plenty of people from all political persuasions who beleive nukes could be part of an overall energy strategy. Whether they are right about that is a different question.
Anything you want has to be either grown or mined. That is fundamental.
NO EPA so big business does what ever it wants. Shit on people shit on animals, shit on evironment as long as I can make a buck doing it. Isn’t america great
The Superfund process better hurry up and remove that huge pile of uranium mine tailings from the bank of the Colorado River at Moab before a flood washes it irretrievably into the river, which would permanently contaminate the water supply for many millions of people, including the residents of Phoenix, Las Vegas and a significant portion of Los Angeles.
Other neat things we could do with the Grand Canyon:
1. Use it as a garbage dump–no worry about that baby filling up for a long while.
2. Nuclear waste storage–that way it could glow in the dark.
3. Site for a maximum security detention facility–slogan: “we dare you to escape this place!”
“Letting such a thing happen to the Grand Canyon would be unconscionable.”
Everything this administration does is unconscionable. Just wait til Thursday when they decide to make polar bears extinct and global warming null and void.
In another of today’s articles, a piece on global warming, somebody mentioned the irrational drive toward endless economic growth on a finite planet as being the central problem. I think it’s fair to say the same here.
I get this picture in my mind and it looks like this: Before the Bush presidency ends, every cannibalistic business has its dibs in to get free run over things previously considered public assets or national treasures. These people are hungry souls that would sell their own mothers for a profit. This presidency should have been stamped illegitimate from the moment those not-very sagacious court justices DETERMINED this misfit pro-business soulless being would be given access to what belongs to ALL of us…
The sins that have been committed, the waste, carnage and murder of even poetry under this reign of terror… let us HOPE there IS a history to record it all that the errors that combined to make it possible never curse another race or people ever again so long as time can be related by sentient souls!
But help to build nuclear plants may be added to a bill in Congress. Write to your senator opposing any nuclear provisions or amendments to the Lieberman-Warner bill.
The Grand Canyon is one of the most beautiful and teeming with life desert ecologies. This mining like it is; barely regulated; the repercussions are terrible and a crime to our Nation’s treasure. The effects would be random and affect all that cannot leave the area.. Sounds like after Katrina. At least they’ll have detention camps for all the survivors. Wish I were kidding on that note.
Siouxrose - remember “Edge of Darkness”? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edge_of_Darkness
I was thinking, Maplefudge has a point - except that a real Yankee wouldn’t doodle around attacking other people’s women and children - since World Terrorism Central is Washington, D.C., they’d steal an A10 - or maybe just borrow one for an afternoon’s flying: they are public property, after all, bought and paid for with taxpayer dollars - and find out where these Nucular Energy Industry lobbyists aka leeches hang out, then pump a few thousand rounds of good ol’ American DU into their hotel.
If it’s good enough for the Iraqis and the Afghanistanis, it’s good enough for Americans.
It’d make a damn fine movie too - along the lines of “Edge of Darkness”, with Harrison Ford as the harried detective - has he ever played anything other than a harried detective, or a grubby archeologist-come-thief? - sent to track down the people - taxpayers - who have borrowed the A10 without state permission - but who’d be the pilot? Schwartzenegger? “I will be back?”
I do get the feeling that people will either make this as a movie, or elements will leech over into real life. I’d rather see the movie - so we need to throw the Nucular Energy Industry lobbyists into jail first, because that way they won’t get lynched when everybody realizes the price they are being required to pay without representation.
Well, Siouxrose, who’s going to write the script? A duel, at ten paces, with loaded fountain pens? Who’s got the quickest draw … umm … scribble?
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102768/
DURA MATER: I must admit I am not familiar with the reference you relate. I love the idea of dueling pens! I am currently both watching my grandson, playing nature-teacher to nurture his sense of awe for things that may pass from this world due to the emphasis on “development” and gross materialism, while also reformating one of my prior movie scripts into a novel. This one was done in the l980’s when I lived in the Florida Keys and its main teaching revolves around the state of our oceans. It also puts forth the important understanding that the dolphin kingdom ARE our brothers/sisters… and my plot is (as always) etched in mystical teachings.
I spent my life studying Ancient traditions to sort the common threads of higher truth & understanding and transfered this knowledge into scripts believing FILM could foremost lift awareness. It’s been painful to watch what Hollywood actually DOES produce, as year after year I’ve seen my best stuff rejected. The good part is I haven’t and will not give up. Self-publishing is a much more arduous route, but I am thankful for the resources to have this option.
If you’re a writer, may the stars be with you and cast light your way!
Only a fool brings a Revolver to a pen fight!
I’m just wondering who in thier right mind would buy B. Bush?