Canyon Mine is back open for business. U.S. District Court judge David Campbell ruled in favor of the U.S. Forest Service last week, saying that conservation groups and the Havasupai tribe didn鈥檛 show that the Forest Service violated environmental laws when it approved reopening the uranium mine, . The mine lies six miles from the Grand Canyon鈥檚 South Rim.
Environmental groups filed the lawsuit against the Forest Service in 2013, arguing that聽since the mine was approved in 1986, the environmental impact statement is out聽of聽date. The Havasupai, as co-plaintiffs, say that the area around the mine, Red Butte, is sacred and the Forest Service didn鈥檛 adequately consult with them before giving the go-ahead to reopen, .听
With the ruling, Energy Fuels Resources can resume operations at the site.听The Havasupai tribe is meeting to determine if it will appeal the judge鈥檚 decision.
Canyon Mine operated for four years after its opening聽but shut down in 1990 when uranium prices dropped, according to 国产吃瓜黑料 Journal. Permission was granted for the mine to reopen in 2012 without an updated environmental assessment. The Forest Service designated the Red Butte Traditional Cultural Property聽in 2010, given the area鈥檚 religious and cultural importance to the Havasupai. A 聽says that the designation means Red Butte is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, and that by reopening the mine, the Forest Service violated the National Historic Preservation Act by not consulting the tribes. The court rejected these claims, asserting that the tribe was properly consulted.
There is evidence that waste from uranium mining can contaminate the aquifer and streams that flow into the Colorado River. 鈥淥ver the last two decades, we鈥檝e learned how uranium mining can pollute aquifers that feed Canyon springs and Havasu Falls,鈥 Roger Clark of the Grand Canyon Trust said in a statement. 鈥淏ut the Forest Service has ignored that information and failed to require Energy Fuels to take reasonable steps to prevent contamination of water, sacred sites, and public lands.鈥