Will Trump Overturn the Ban on Uranium Mining Around the Grand Canyon? PHOENIX TIMES, MAY 28, 2017 .
That moratorium was announced by the Department of the Interior in 2012, and banned new uranium claims until 2032. Existing claims and mines were unaffected.
It was great news to environmental groups like the Grand Canyon Trust, the Sierra Club, and the League of Conservation Voters, who had spent years pointing out the environmental hazards of uranium mining — particularly the threat of polluting the Colorado River, which provides water to 40 million people in Arizona and the Southwest.
But back in March, Trump signed an executive order promoting “energy independence and economic growth.” It requires heads of each government agency to identify any federal guidelines that are getting in the way of domestic energy production, and tell him which ones can legally be reversed.
“The report shall include specific recommendations that, to the extent permitted by law, could alleviate or eliminate aspects of agency actions that burden domestic energy production,” the executive order states.
While we won’t know for sure until the Department of the Interior submits its report in late July, it’s quite possible that the moratorium on new uranium claims around the Grand Canyon would fall into that category. (The Department of Interior didn’t return a request for comment.)……..http://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/advocates-worry-trump-could-overturn-moratorium-on-uranium-mining-at-grand-canyon-9296810
