GRAND CANYON VILLAGE, Ariz. — Activists against a uranium mine operating south of the Grand Canyon delivered what they say are more than 17,000 signatures to Governor Katie Hobbs this week, asking for her to close down the mine.
The Pinyon Plain Mine, formerly known as Canyon Mine, began mining uranium ore in December and is expected to be actively mining for at least five years. In the next month or two, the company operating the mine, Energy Fuels Resources Inc., anticipates beginning to haul rocks containing uranium across Northern Arizona, including parts of the Navajo Nation, to a mill in southeast Utah.
Several groups of activists are concerned over the potential effects of the mine’s operations.
“We all want clean air, clean water, and uranium mining is not the answer to energy,” Carletta Tilousi, who sits on the Havasupai Tribe’s anti-uranium committee, said.
The Havasupai Tribe has been fighting for decades against the Pinyon Plain Mine.
“My number one concern with this mine is water contamination and the misuse of water,” Tilousi said. “The mining activity has already contaminated the site and it’s going to continue to contaminate and we need to make sure that the animals are protected and human life is protected.”
Leona Morgan, co-founder of Haul No!, an organization against the mine and the haul routes across Northern Arizona — including parts of the Navajo Nation — is also seeking protections for animals and human life.
“This is institutional racism, environmental racism. It's a violation of our civil rights. It's a violation of federal trust responsibility," Morgan said. "And we're here to say, Governor Hobbs do the right thing.’”
Earlier this year, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution signifying their opposition to the mining and hauling of the uranium from the Pinyon Plain Mine. The resolution urged the closure of the mine too, echoing the concerns of activists.
“At the end of the day neither regulators nor industry can insure against the permanent, irretrievable damage to the Grand Canyon’s aquifers and that’s just not a risk that should be taken,” Taylor McKinnon, Southwest Director for the Center for Biological Diversity said.
Energy Fuels began mining the uranium ore in December out of the roughly 14-acre Pinyon Plain Mine located just south of Tusayan.
“Enough uranium will come out to power the State of Arizona for one to two years with clean, carbon-free electricity,” Curtis Moore, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Development for Energy Fuels, said.
Moore refuted the claims by the activist groups’ concerns on the impact of the Pinyon Plain Mine.
“We call on these activist groups to just follow the science, stop undermining state and federal regulators and stop undermining courts,” Moore said.
Still, Moore recognizes why the groups would find concern with uranium mining in Northern Arizona, noting the ‘sad legacy’ of uranium mining that was done on the Navajo Nation in the mid-1900s.
“But people need to understand that a lot has changed,” Moore said. “A lot has changed in our industry over the last, you know, 50-plus years. Any industry, if you look not just uranium mining or any industry, it's — we have a much greater understanding of the risks of uranium, how to manage those risks.”
When it comes to risks to groundwater, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality tells 12News their more than 1,000 hours of review before issuing the mine’s Individual Aquifer Protection Program Permit “agreed with key conclusions that adverse impacts to groundwater from the facility are extremely unlikely.”
A spokesperson for ADEQ added in a written statement to 12News’ questions that the permit is there to protect groundwater and to keep mine-impacted water isolated from potential drinking water.
But the activists’ concerns have them asking Hobbs to shut down the mine.
“We hear lots of claims from regulators, claims from industry, but at the end of the day they can’t make that assurance,” McKinnon said. “And if those problems manifest, they’re going to be permanent.”
12News’ political insider Brahm Resnik asked Hobbs if she has the authority to shut down the mine on the upcoming Sunday Square Off.
“This is probably the most regulated mine in the entire country, and so it is very closely monitored by ADEQ. They're constantly inspecting, and if there are violations, we're prepared to act,” Hobbs said. “Of course, as Governor, Arizonan's health and safety is a priority. But this, this mine is being very closely monitored, and all of the concerns brought up in the petition are addressed in the permits that have been issued.”
Hobbs also said she does not plan to close the mine without reason to do so.
ADEQ also told 12News the most recent inspections of the mine earlier this month and last month found the facility was in compliance and had no violations.
In addition, the department has not received any complaints alleging violation of the permits either, an ADEQ spokesperson said.
Tilousi said the Havasupai Tribe’s fight against the mine goes back to the 1980s and still hopes to see action.
“We are not giving up anytime soon,” Tilousi said.
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