Supervisors to consider letter in support of uranium mining industry
 
By JIM SECKLER
Mohave Daily News
 
KINGMAN — The county supervisors will consider Tuesday supporting uranium mining in Northern Arizona, including lands around the Grand Canyon.

The board will be asked to submit a letter to National Association of Counties to support uranium mining on federal Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service lands in Northern Arizona including the Arizona Strip area.

In 2009, U.S. Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar withdrew about 1 million acres of land near the Grand Canyon from new mining operations for two years. Salazar recently extended for six months the moratorium on the public lands in Northern Arizona. One of three sections of the land under moratorium in Mohave County is called the north segregation area, which includes land south of Colorado City and Fredonia.

District 3 Sup. Buster Johnson cited a Nuclear Energy Institute report that stated reserves in Northern Arizona amounts to about 326 million pounds that could supply electricity to 40 million people for more than 22 years.

However, according to the U.S. Geological Survey uranium specialist Jim Otton, the country has 104 nuclear plants that use from 50 million to 55 million pounds of uranium a year. The plants generate about 20 percent of the country’s electricity.

The area in the Grand Canyon watershed is home to about 12 percent of the undiscovered uranium in Northern Arizona, which is estimated to be up to 2.6 billion pounds. Uranium mining has impacted the environment of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River watershed. Increased levels of radioactive materials and heavy metals would flow into the Grand Canyon and into the Colorado River, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The Unites States imports about 90 percent of its uranium supply from countries such as Canada, Australia and Russia. Mining operations in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah could generate more than $29 million in economic benefits, which could increase funding for law enforcement, search and rescue, firefighters, road maintenance and tourism, according to Johnson.

The board of supervisors will hold its meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in the board of supervisor’s auditorium at the county administration building, 700 W. Beale St., Kingman.
 
MohaveDailyNews.com
Originally published Thursday, June 30, 2011
 
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