Anyone with plans to visit the Grand Canyon in the near future might want to consider bringing bottled water along with them. To the dismay of environmentalists and nearby Native Americans, a Canadian company has been given the go ahead on mining uranium just six miles from the National Park’s South Rim entrance.
Even though the government banned uranium mining around the park early last year, Canadian company Energy Fuels Resources says its rights to mine in the area, which were granted in 1986, should be grandfathered in. According to the Arizona Republic, it seems the Forest Service agreed.
Three environmental groups and the local Havusupai Tribe have come together to file suit against the Forest Service. Not only does pollution from the mine provide a potential threat to the air and water in the area, but the mine is situated on a site sacred to the Havusupai and other tribes. Until mining starts in 2015, pay attention to those warning signs at the Grand Canyon (pictured above), and here’s to hoping something is done before they get more plentiful.
[Photo credit: Flickr user Al_HikesAZ]