Press Release: New Recommendations Risk Public Health and Safety, Invites Uranium Mining at the Grand Canyon

FLAGSTAFF (April 23, 2020)—Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting, and the Outdoors (HECHO) opposed new recommendations released today from the Nuclear Fuels Working Group citing the audacity of its claims that the U.S. Government ought to “revive and strengthen the uranium mining industry” by streamlining “land access for uranium extraction”—a move that could open up uranium mining outside the Grand Canyon.

“As Chairwoman of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors and HECHO Arizona Spokeswoman, the Grand Canyon is a special place to all Arizonans. It is the crown jewel of the national park system. It is also a very special place to Latinos and Hispanics throughout the nation. For this reason and the negative impact uranium mining will have on our robust tourism and outdoor recreation economy, uranium mining at the Grand Canyon is inappropriate and unthinkable,” said HECHO Arizona Spokeswoman Elizabeth Archuleta.

The recommendations were released during a national coronavirus pandemic, a time when the health and safety of the public should be the Administration’s top priority-- not propping up an industry with a terrible record of causing significant harm to communities through water and air pollution from mining, said the group. 

“Decades of uranium mining has left a permanent scar on the people of the southwest; Native Americans living near the Grand Canyon--some of whom worked in the now abandoned mines--are still suffering from the lingering effects of drinking contaminated water,” said HECHO Advisory Board Member, Viviana Reyes. “Exposure to uranium radiation is known to lead to health problems. For communities without access to quality health care, this is a potentially deadly risk. In addition to the threat posed by COVID-19, this is an extremely unacceptable scenario.”

According to information shared by national security and fissile material expert Sharon Squassoni, the report seeks to validate the need for uranium mining by creating artificial demand, recommending a national stockpile dependent on American mining. However, directing purchases of domestically mined uranium would utilize taxpayer dollars to pay companies to mine uranium, polluting sensitive public lands.

“It goes against our values of protecting and stewarding the land for future generations,” said HECHO Executive Director Camilla Simon. “We’re shocked about the report and its recommendations that prioritize destruction rather than preservation of one of our nation’s most precious assets. Uranium mining is a practice that intentionally contaminates drinking water, and risks our kids’ health and put the lands we love at risk. We have a responsibility to protect land and water for future generations, and we’ll continue pushing against the destruction of our national parks and public lands.”

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