Question

For many costs and benefits associated with government projects/actions, there are no market U.S. government (or the State of Arizona) value the Grand Canyon, one of the wonders of the world?

Answer 1

The Grand Canyon is a mile-long gorge in northern Arizona. Scientists estimate that the canyon may have been formed 5 to 6 million years ago when the Colorado River began to cut a canal through layers of rock. Humans have been living in and around the canyon since the last Ice Age. The first Europeans to reach the Grand Canyon were Spanish explorers in the 1540's. President Benjamin Harris first protected the Grand Canyon as a forest reserve in 1893 and became an official United States National Park in 1919.

The Grand Canyon region is home to some of the highest grade uranium ore in the United States, which has made it a focal point for mining interests in the past. The Grand Canyon is also an important cultural and environmental resource where substantial scientific questions about the extent and severity of the risks posed by uranium mining remain unanswered. To the east of Grand Canyon National Park, hundreds of abandoned uranium mines still litter the Navajo Nation, contaminating land and water. Across the Colorado Plateau, uranium mining and milling have left a toxic and costly legacy.

Uranium mining around the Grand Canyon has no economic, cultural or ecological significance. Uranium deposits are common throughout the world, and the Grand Canyon is home to only 0.29% of all known U.S. reserves. Attempts to make domestic uranium mining critical to U.S. economic and national security are misleading and aimed at increasing demand and boosting the bottom line of uranium companies. Given the significant environmental, cultural and economic risks, the ban on mining in the Grand Canyon should remain in place and the uranium next to the Grand Canyon should remain on the ground.