Grijalva’s Committee on Natural Resources Works to Protect Grand Canyon Uranium Mining and Development November 17, 2019

Fossil fuel companies and their allies in Congress want to do away with an Obama-era regulation that put a 20-year moratorium on new uranium mining on more than a million acres of land near the Grand Canyon.

They want to end the moratorium more than a decade ahead of schedule. And their former lobbyists, now in charge of Trump administration environmental policy, want to speed up permitting for new mining operations.

When we won back the House last year, Congressman Raul Grijalva became Chair of the House Committee on Natural Resources. Since that day, he has been leading the effort in Congress to protect the Grand Canyon.

Grijalva introduced the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, which will block all new uranium mining and make the moratorium permanent. This week, our Democratic Majority passed this bill in the House of Representatives.

The Grand Canyon is a beautiful reminder of our nation’s history and a living symbol of our urge to leave our greatest natural places unspoiled. Our children and our children’s children shouldn’t have to wonder whether the Grand Canyon or its surroundings will ever be threatened with excessive pollution or mining development.

Some issues are powerful and popular enough to blast right through the usual Senate deadlock and protecting the Grand Canyon on its 100th anniversary of becoming an official National Park should be one of them.

Grijalva is leading the way to protect one of the crown jewels of the National Parks System from further harm or excessive development.