United States (US) President Joe Biden is set to designate land near the Grand Canyon as a new national monument in a move to protect the area from uranium mining.
White House officials confirmed on Monday, announcing that Biden will be calling for the designation on Tuesday, August 8.
Joe Biden to Designate Grand Canyon Monument
US President Joe Biden is greeted as he arrives at Grand Canyon National Park Airport in Grand Canyon Village, Arizona, on August 7, 2023.
According to the Associated Press, President Biden is officially announcing the new national monument designation for the Great Canyon amid his visit to Arizona on Tuesday, August 8. It effectively shields it from the looming threat of uranium mining.
The move, long-awaited and fervently advocated by environmentalists and indigenous groups alike, marks a historic step towards safeguarding the unparalleled beauty of the Grand Canyon.
As per NBC News, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed that the President is set to call for the designation on Tuesday. Once Biden formally calls it, it will be his fifth national monument. CBS News notes that the other designations are located in Colorado, Nevada, Mississippi, Nevada, and Illinois.
The Press Secretary stressed that several tribes in Arizona "stepped up" to push Biden to call for the new Grand Canyon monument. The upcoming designation preserves roughly 1,562 square miles of land, blocking uranium mining.
Havasupai Tribal Councilwoman Dianna Sue White Dove Uqualla, who will attend the President's Arizona visit, voiced their stand. Uqualla says, "[it is] really the uranium we [do not] want coming out of the ground because [it is] going to affect everything around us."
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Uranium Mining in Grand Canyon National Park
A view of the Colorado River from the Navajo Bridge in Marble Canyon, Arizona, August 31, 2022. - Amidst the drought and water shortages plaguing the country, last month the US government declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time, triggering mandatory water consumption cuts for states in the Southwest, as climate change-fueled drought pushes the level in Lake Powell and Lake Mead to unprecedented lows.
For years, the Grand Canyon's extraordinary landscapes have captivated the hearts of adventurers, nature enthusiasts, and tourists. Yet, lurking beneath its breathtaking views was a potential peril - uranium mining.
NBC News notes that the United States Geological Survey in 2021 disclosed that most springs and wells in northern Arizona still meet federal drinking water standards despite the widespread uranium mining for several decades.
Native American tribes in Arizona have long been asking President Biden to protect the land by using his Antiquities Act of 1906 authority to create a new national monument.
The designation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument is a significant step in the fight to protect the Grand Canyon and other natural wonders from destructive development. Environmental groups and Native American tribes, who have been fighting for years to protect the area from uranium mining, are the major winners of the looming designation. It is also a sign of the Biden administration's commitment to conservation and environmental protection.
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