United States enacts 20 year ban on new northern Arizona mining claims

Ken Salazar, the US Interior Secretary, yesterday signed a ban on all new mining claims across a million acres of federal lands in northern Arizona. The withdrawal is valid until 2022.

In comments at the signing of the ban, Mr Salazar said that the move would protect the US$3.5 billion spent annually by visitors to the neighbouring Grand Canyon National Park, while allowing the government to monitor impacts associated with uranium production. His argument was disputed by Arizona governor Janice Brewer, who said the ban would result in job losses and a US$10 billion reduction in the state’s economic activity.

The new Public Land Order does not affect existing mining operations in the area, predominantly focused on uranium. Nor does it affect the development of new projects on valid existing leases. The government estimated that there are 3,200 claims currently located in the areas to be closed.

The US Bureau of Land Management has projected that seven new uranium mines may be approved on existing leases, alongside four which have already received approval. The bureau argued that this will result in a net increase or continuity in mining-related jobs.

In a joint statement issued by Republican senators in Arizona and Utah, US Senator John McCain called the ban a “devastating blow” for job creation, saying “It is deeply unfortunate that certain environmental groups have chosen to break faith with a 30 year-old compromise that successfully balanced conservation with mining and other commercial activities.”