Pinyon Plain Mine Opens Near Grand Canyon, Poses Threat of Uranium Radiation to Health and Environment

Every year, the state of Arizona welcomes almost 5 million tourists who wish to visit the Grand Canyon, a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River. Initially protected as a forest preserve in 1893, the area achieved national park status in 1919 and is now under the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Unfortunately, the largest canyon in the world faces threats of contamination from uranium mining.

Threat to Local Resources

In 2012, the interior department under former US President Barack Obama announced a 20-year ban on fresh mining activity in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon. Also known as mineral withdrawal, the ban aims to protect a million acres of public land in the area.

Although the moratorium bans new uranium mines, Pinyon Plain Mine (formerly Canyon Mine) got exempted after years of attempts by environmental organizations to stop it in the courts. It is one of the two mining operations mentioned in the White House Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni National Monument fact sheet which would be allowed to operate within the canyon. However, the second one has been mined out since 2014.

The Pinyon Plain Mine was already in development before Obama instated the original mining ban in 2012. This means that the uranium mine facility falls under the Mining Act of 1872. Since the Mining Act authorized mining for economic minerals like uranium, the Pinyon Plain Mine has been exempted from presidential bans.

The Grand Canyon holds 1.3% of uranium reserves in the US and the Pinyon Plain Mine facility has a total of 1.6 million pounds of proven and probable uranium. As of 2023, the current sale of the mineral in the US is around $62 per pound. This means that Pinyon Plain Mine can provide a potential revenue of $100 million.

Dangers of Uranium Mining

The proximity of the mine to the national park has sparked controversies from environmental activities who have seen threats of water contamination from radioactive chemicals. The radiation can pose a hazard not only to the health of local residents, but also to tourists.

The Havasupai Tribe has also repeatedly tried to prevent the mine from opening, arguing that the facility could contaminate the local groundwater and threaten their cultural and spiritual religious sites.

Uranium itself is minimally radioactive, but the mined ore can release radioactive elements such as radon gas. When this radioactive gas is breathed in, it can cause major health problems such as lung cancer, renal failure, and diminished bone growth.

A 2013 study also suggests that the uranium mine can destroy the Grand Canyon by contaminating it with radioactive dust, increased background radiation levels, and water-borne toxins. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, mining makes uranium soluble in groundwater with the risk of polluting the canyon's springs.

CBD also reported that large drilling sites are usually left open after the mining company leaves the area. This leads to groundwater leaks, dispersal of dust in the air, and airborne uranium pollution which can create unsafe conditions for tourists.

Meanwhile, Energy Fuels Resources, the company that owns the mine, denied the accusations and claimed that the arguments on groundwater contamination are unscientific. Last November 2023, the company sent a required notice to EPA indicating that ventilation of the mine would begin within 30 - 60 days. On December 21, 2023, Energy Fuels Resources put out a press release announcing that it had begun uranium production at Pinyon Plain Mine alongside two other mines on the Colorado Plateau.