WASHINGTON — The full U.S. House is slated to vote this week on legislation to permanently ban uranium and other hardrock mining near the Grand Canyon.
The effort is a longtime priority for Arizona Rep. Raúl Grijalva, chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee. And while the measure is expected to clear the Democratic-led House, it faces opposition from Republicans and uncertain prospects in the GOP-controlled Senate.
The debate on the House floor will pit Grijalva, the lead sponsor of the bill, against Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar, who will be leading the GOP opposition. Grijalva expects fireworks. “You should probably sell tickets to that one,” he joked in a recent interview with Arizona Mirror.
The legislation, dubbed the “Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act,” would permanently withdraw about 1 million acres of public lands north and south of Grand Canyon National Park from mineral extraction. The bill cleared Grijalva’s committee earlier this year.
The Obama administration announced a 20-year moratorium on new mining claims in those areas, but Grijalva and other opponents of mining in the region have expressed concerns that the Trump administration would reverse course after President Donald Trump declared uranium a critical mineral for national security.
For the rest of this article: https://www.azmirror.com/2019/10/29/u-s-house-to-vote-on-legislation-banning-mining-near-grand-canyon/