COCONINO COUNTY AZ — Tribal leaders and conservationists came together Saturday to protest a mine extracting uranium south of the Grand Canyon.
The Center for Biological Diversity estimated around 250 people attended the protest, which included members of the Havasupai and Lakota tribes.
They’re protesting Energy Fuel’s Pinyon Plain Mine.
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“Overall, what we want to do is send a message to shut down Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine and we are again asking the Governor and also the Biden administration to help do that,” Sierra Club Grand Canyon Chapter Director Sandy Bahr said.
The Havasupai tribe has expressed concern for years about the potential harmful impacts of nearby uranium mining on groundwater and sacred land.
Recently, Navajo leaders pushed back against the mining company transporting uranium on tribal roads that surround the site.
The company is currently not shipping any uranium across Navajo land while they continue negotiations.
The Arizona Attorney General has also called for a new environmental study into the impacts of the uranium collection there.
“The old [study] is obviously old and didn't consider a lot of the new science, which is very clear, saying that there is a very real threat to Grand Canyon's groundwater and its springs and its creeks from this uranium mine,” Southwest Director for the Center for Biological Diversity Taylor McKinnon said.
Energy Fuels says the mine has a low impact to the area, without risk to groundwater.
Friday, spokesman Curtis Moore released a statement on the ongoing negotiations.
“We have had productive discussions with the Navajo Nation, and we believe the parties will be able to come to a reasonable agreement that ensures coordinated emergency management and the protection of public health and safety at all times, matters which are of prime importance to both the Navajo Nation and Energy Fuels.”
