President Biden could announce as soon as next week his decision to set aside more than a million acres near the Grand Canyon as a national monument, a move that would protect it from uranium mining. A coalition of tribes, environmental groups, and elected officials have been calling for the creation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. Biden hasn't made the decision final yet, the Washington Post reports, but he'll be in Arizona next week, and involved parties have been told to prepare for the announcement then. The move would be part of an effort to promote the president's proposals to combat global warming.
The 1.1 million-acre plan would double the protected land around the canyon. The monument designation, which would be made under the 1906 Antiquities Act, is partly to honor Native American peoples' ties to the Grand Canyon. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs wrote Biden in May in support of the idea, per the AP, calling the Grand Canyon a "culturally sacred place stewarded by Indigenous Peoples for centuries." Opponents include uranium mining industry and ranchers in southern Utah who until now have been able to graze cattle on public lands that would become part of the national monument.
Environmental groups and tribes say allowing uranium mining in the area could damage aquifers and water supplies. The current water crisis has led them to focus more on protecting vulnerable streams that would be included in the area. The ban in place on new mining on federal land in the area is due to expire in 2032, which also has led to increased pleas to make safeguards permanent. "This monument will show that we are beginning to protect the lands of the world," Dianna Sue WhiteDove Uqualla, a member of the Havasupai Tribal Council, said last month. (More Grand Canyon stories.)
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