Grand Canyon uranium mining ban proposed

WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 (UPI) -- The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has recommended a 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims on federal land near the Grand Canyon.

The recommendation published Thursday would allow mining to continue on any existing claim in the region but would stop all new claims on more than 1 million acres of federal land, Cronkite News reported.

While the bureau said the ban is necessary so it can study the impact of uranium mining bids on the Grand Canyon watershed, opponents denounced the ban, saying it was based on politics, not science.

"You don't make a decision because there is a possible danger," said Gregory Yount of the Northern Arizona Uranium Project, a uranium exploration company. "There is nothing in the draft that would support the withdrawal, and there never was."

Supporters called the ban a benefit for Arizona and its residents.

A new-mining ban "would greatly reduce the possibility of contamination of both ground and surface water, which would benefit not only agriculture but also all the people that drink water from the Colorado River," Diane Braune, owner of the High Castle Ranch in Wilhoit, Ariz., said.

The recommendation is subject to a 30-day public comment period after which Interior Secretary Ken Salazar will make a final decision.