COCONINO COUNTY — The Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, home to the Havasupai people, and jewel of Coconino County is at risk of contamination from the Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine which sits just outside the southern entrance …
to the park where 4.5 million people visit each year.
The mine is above the Redwall-Muav aquifer which feeds streams and springs throughout the Grand Canyon and is the sole source of agricultural and drinking water for the Havasupai Tribe who live in Supai Village at the base of the Grand Canyon.
The Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine has already extracted ore and is determining a travel route through Coconino County and tribal lands to a mill in southern Utah. The ore will be transported by truck through communities where an accident could cause irreparable damage to the watershed and impact air quality for our residents.
… for these reasons and others, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors reaffirmed its opposition to the Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine at their regular meeting on Feb. 20, 2024.
“The creation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument forever protects almost a million acres of land around Grand Canyon from future uranium mining. However, existing mining permits remain in effect,” District 1 Supervisor Patrice Horstman said. “The Pinyon Plain mine is extracting ore and threatens the very existence of the Havasupai people and their homeland.”
It is estimated that 1.3 percent of the United States’ uranium deposits are in the Grand Canyon region. Stopping all uranium mining will have no meaningful effect on the America’s energy independence or on its nuclear energy portfolio.
“We cannot risk the Grand Canyon for various reasons. First and foremost is the homeland of the Havasupai, second, are the other indigenous groups that consider it sacred land, and third, the rest of us who think the Grand Canyon is a special place,” District 2 Supervisor and Board Chair Jeronimo Vasquez said. “We are putting it at risk for a foreign owned mining company to make a profit.”
The Coconino Couty Board of Supervisors has long opposed uranium development in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon and its watersheds and has adopted various resolutions through the years. This resolution, 2024-09: A Resolution of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors Opposing Uranium Mining and Hauling in the Vicinity of those portions of Grand Canyon National Park and Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument and their Watersheds and Airsheds that lie within Coconino County Arizona, requests the closure of the mine or:
- Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) conduct robust and frequent water and air quality monitoring at the Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine and along hauling routes.
- ADEQ and EPA publish monitoring data to the public monthly.
- Re-evaluation of the mine’s existing Environmental Impact Statement from the 1980s to ensure that it complies with current scientific knowledge and meets current environmental, health, and safety standards considering the latest research and hydrogeology.
The Coconino County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the resolution.
To see the full content of the resolution visit
https://coconino.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/61935/Resolution-2024-09