Why is Energy Fuels Inc. (EFR) planning to operate the Canyon mine using an Environmental Review that was originally approved in the 1980s? Did the U.S. Forest Service violate the National Historic Preservation Act by failing to consult with the Havasupai before giving EFR the green light? How will the Canadian-owned mining project effect the Colorado River that 40 million Americans rely on? Does the company’s controversial haul route risk additional public health impacts?
These are just some of the questions we will labor to answer during the course of a four-week investigation of the Canyon mine and other uranium threats to America’s most iconic landscape.
The Canyon mine, located 5 miles from the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Photo: Garet Bleir
Background
The Grand Canyon watershed is already suffering from the impacts of uranium mining. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the region’s fifteen springs and five wells exhibit levels of radiation that exceed the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) safe drinking water standards.
This does not bode well for the region’s wildlife–not to mention any of the 40 million Americans using water from the Colorado River.
The Navajo (Dine) Nation understands the risks all too well. An Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) survey of 474 abandoned uranium mines within the Dine’s territory found that 85% of the mines had gamma radiation levels at twice the background level. Nearly half of those mines had radiation levels at 10-times or even 25-times the background radiation.
A humble warning at the Canyon mine. Photo: Garet Bleir
While no studies have been conducted to determine the impact of radiation on the Dine, a disproportionate number of people on the reservation are suffering from organ failure, kidney disease, loss of lung function, and cancer.
The Canyon mine could have a similar impact on the health of the Havasupai.The mine sits directly above groundwater that feeds into several seeps and springs, including Havasu Springs and the Havasupai’s main source of water, Havasu Creek (the Muuve Aquifer).
Given that the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) does not require monitoring of deep aquifers, remediation plans or bonding to prevent deep aquifer contamination, the mine poses a significant risk to the livelihood of this isolated population of Native Americans.
The Canyon mine also poses a significant threat to the Havasupai’s culture and religion. The project is located right beside the sacred mountain of Red Butte, a religious site that is also culturally significant to the Diné and Hopi Nations, and many other tribes in the area.
A number of environmental groups, alongside the Havasupai Nation, are appealing to federal judges to stop the mine before it can cause any significant harm.
If their lawsuit fails, the Canyon mine would produce as much as 109,500 tons of high-grade uranium ore per year. As much as 13,100 tons of that ore would be stored on-site. The rest would be sent 300 miles to the White Mesa Mill near Blanding, Utah. 750 tonnes of radioactive material would travel each day through several towns and cities as well as the Hopi Reservation and 180 miles across the Navajo reservation.
There are few safety precautions in place to ensure that the haul route doesn’t risk additional harm to the public. EFR will simply use tarps to cover the raw radioactive ore. Should any dust from the ore escape, it would distribute uranium into the local environment.
What’s that? During our first visit to the Canyon mine we found this silver gray matter collecting in ponds and on nearby US Geological Survey Trucks. Photo: Garet Bleir
Given the unpredictable nature of traffic accidents, many residents along the route are deeply concerned about the possibilities.
EFR’s White Mesa Mill is a controversy unto itself. The mill was built on the sacred ancestral lands of the Ute Mountain Ute tribe. The site of the mill hosts over 200 cultural sites of significance including burial sites, kivas, and artifacts. During its construction, several cultural sites were demolished. What’s more, like the Havasupai, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe was never consulted before construction began. Today, the mill regularly releases radioactive and toxic air pollutants into local communities. These contaminants include radon, thoron, sulfur dioxide, and nitrogen oxides.
There’s more. With President Trump’s recent cuts to the EPA, EFR’s recent discovery of Copper at the Canyon mine, and the Koch Brothers’ newly launched campaign to remove the permanent ban on uranium mining near the Grand Canyon’s rim (an area that President Roosevelt permanently protected in 1908) we are witnessing an unprecedented threat to the Grand Canyon, its watershed and everyone that depends on it.
But there is hope. A group calling itself “Haul No!” is organizing a campaign to educate the public and build support to stop the mining project. Meanwhile, Members the Navajo Nation are working to enforce a ban on the transport of uranium ore through the reservation. And the White Mesa Ute are actively leading protests against the uranium mill.
This organizing could very well turn out to be the beginning of America’s next Standing Rock.
For the next four weeks we are in the Grand Canyon to cover everything as it unfolds. We need your help to stay there!
We’re launching a crowdfunding campaign later this month to cover the expenses of our time on the ground. Before that campaign begins, we need 100 people to join us on Thunderclap and help us send a message that the Grand Canyon has allies!
During our time here we will investigate the risks and impacts of the Canyon mine. We will look at the history of the company’s processing mill and cover the outcome of the lawsuit. We will collect expert testimony, conduct interviews and introduce you to some of the people already effected by uranium mining. We will also bring you exclusive footage and updates on the emerging movement.
