US POLITICIANS are at loggerheads over whether to allow uranium mining in north Arizona, near the Grand Canyon. Mining would create jobs, but might pollute the Colorado river, which provides the Southwest US with irrigation and domestic water.
The White House wants to ban all new mining claims in the area for 20 years, but a group of Republicans is backing legislation that would render the ban meaningless.
A steep rise in metal prices during the last decade led mining companies to register interest in exploiting thousands of new sites across the US, including several hundred near the Grand Canyon. In 2009, secretary of the interior Ken Salazar put a on anyone even seeking permission to mine in three areas around the Grand Canyon. The US Geological Survey has since found that there could increase the levels of radioactive materials and heavy metals in the Colorado river.
On 26 October, the released its , which backs extending Salazar’s moratorium for 20 years. Arizona congressman praised the bureau’s research, which he thinks will help maintain the Grand Canyon as a tourist attraction.
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However, Republican lawmakers, led by Arizona senator , have proposed a , which would and instead require Congressional approval for any moratorium.
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