For many, the Grand Canyon is the cultural and environmental epicenter of the West. It attracts millions of people each year to take in its mercurial beauty and epic scale. But concealed in the ancient rock layers lies some of the highest-grade uranium ore in the U.S. It’s led to a decades-long showdown over what amount of mining in the area, if any, is safe.
Mining isn’t allowed inside the national park, but companies are attracted to the land surrounding it. Conservationists say extracting uranium, even miles from the canyon, threatens the seeps and springs that support habitats and rich biodiversity and feed the Colorado River...