Uranium Action Alert July 26, 2024

Flooding at Uranium Mine Near Grand Canyon Tops 66 Million Gallons

An update on the continuing threats of mining on Navajo lands from the Grand Canyon Trust

In the world of conservation, success isn’t always linear. With that hard truth in mind, I wanted to update you on our work to protect the Grand Canyon region from uranium mining.

Despite the designation of Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni ‒ Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in 2023, the threat of uranium mining lingers. Because of the antiquated General Mining Law of 1872, Canyon Mine (renamed Pinyon Plain Mine) is moving ahead inside the new national monument, exempt from the monument’s mining ban.

The mine began extracting uranium ore in December 2023. Since then, the mine’s owner, Energy Fuels Resources, has been storing uranium ore in a growing pile inside the mine’s chain-link fence.

Hauling hasn’t started yet, but trucks are expected to carry the ore roughly 300 miles through Williams, Flagstaff, Tuba City, Kayenta, Bluff, White Mesa, and finally to the company’s White Mesa Mill. At the mill, the ore will be crushed and processed into yellowcake — a product that is shipped elsewhere for conversion and enrichment to become fuel for nuclear power plants. Many communities along the haul route oppose uranium passing through their towns.

The Navajo Nation has long banned uranium mining and milling on Navajo lands. In April, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed legislation asking President Biden to use executive authority to halt uranium transport across Navajo land before it starts.

In May, the Navajo Nation Department of Justice announced plans to impose transportation regulations aimed at disincentivizing ore-hauling across the Navajo Nation.

A recent study by long-time Grand Canyon hydrologist Dr. Laura Crossey of the University of New Mexico has underscored the potential risks Canyon Mine poses to the Grand Canyon’s delicate and complex groundwater systems. Flooding at the mine continues. We recently partnered with The Information Lab to analyze water data from the mine.

Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., lawmakers from both sides of the aisle are advancing uranium and nuclear policies that turn up the pressure on communities across the Colorado Plateau still trying to recover from the last uranium boom.

The Grand Canyon Trust continues to support tribes and to work for energy policies that are informed by the lessons of the past. We’re advocating for better protections for the Grand Canyon and its waters, including urging Arizona regulators to adopt and update state water-quality standards for pollutants including uranium and arsenic.

The hard work to safeguard the Grand Canyon region continues. Thank you for your steadfast support through it all.

Warmly, 

Amber Reimondo
Energy Director

Grand Canyon Trust