House to Vote on Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act

 by Amber Reimondo, Energy Director

Update! The Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act passed the U.S. House of Representatives on October 30, 2019! Urge your senators to support the Act in the Senate ›

In February, Grand Canyon National Park turned 100 years old. To usher in the next century, Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva stood on the South Rim and introduced a bill that would permanently ban uranium mining on more than 1 million acres of public lands surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. Now that bill, the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, is up for a full House vote this week.

Native leaders speak up in support

Widespread support has gushed forth for the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act, and you don’t have to look very far to see why. Hundreds of abandoned mines, most of which lie on tribal lands from long-ago uranium booms, are awaiting cleanup in the Four Corners region. These abandoned mines negatively impact the health of surrounding communities and threaten to irreversibly contaminate the very life-source of the Grand Canyon region: its precious water. Native communities throughout the Southwest are still dealing the long legacy of uranium contamination — just ask Carletta Tilousi, Havasupai Tribal Council member:

...protect this canyon from any further destruction of our burial sites, of our watersheds, of our cultural sites. Those all need to be protected.

–Carletta Tilousi, Havasupai Tribal Council

Or ask Clark Tenakhongva, vice chairman of the Hopi Tribe:

Hopisinum and many other Native American people suffer an ongoing legacy...including water contamination on tribal lands. We know firsthand...that the contamination will travel, that it does not stay in one place.

–Clark Tenakhongva, vice chairman, Hopi Tribe

Ask Richard Powskey, Hualapai Tribal Council member:

The chemicals and materials they use to extract that mineral is toxic...and the tailings that they leave behind that feed into the tributaries that go into the Colorado River are our concern.

–Richard Powskey, Hualapai Tribal Council

Ask Matthew Putesoy, vice chairman of the Havasupai Tribe:

Havasupai has been here in the Grand Canyon from time immemorial...we have a sacred duty to protect the land and the Grand Canyon from further desecration. 

–Matthew Putesoy, vice chairman, Havasupai Tribal Council

Will you speak up for the Grand Canyon?

These powerful testimonials highlight what we stand to gain by protecting the Grand Canyon from uranium mining.