I think there's been too much focus in the conservation community out here on what I think of as "single-issue" monuments. Don't want uranium mines on the south rim? Establish a monument! Don't want oil and gas leasing outside of canyonlands? Establish a monument! What gets left out of the discussion is all of the other objects we should be protecting. Archaeology and native heritage, rightfully, factor prominently into the proposals but would the conservation groups leap on board to help if that was the only object being protected? I doubt it.
On Grand Staircase they established a monument that was supposed to be a "science" monument where people could study geology, ecology, biology, botany etc, etc. It also shut down plans for a coal mine on the Kaiparowitz plateau. The monument proclamation states that grazing should no way construed to be affected at all by the monument designation. And now what? Yes, there's no coal mine, but the grazing (and lack of funding) sure makes it difficult to pursue any of those other monument objectives.
My ultimate fear is that single issue designations cheapens what it means to be a national monument. Ultimately, we might be left with no idea of how to protect these lands in perpetuity.
On Grand Staircase they established a monument that was supposed to be a "science" monument where people could study geology, ecology, biology, botany etc, etc. It also shut down plans for a coal mine on the Kaiparowitz plateau. The monument proclamation states that grazing should no way construed to be affected at all by the monument designation. And now what? Yes, there's no coal mine, but the grazing (and lack of funding) sure makes it difficult to pursue any of those other monument objectives.
My ultimate fear is that single issue designations cheapens what it means to be a national monument. Ultimately, we might be left with no idea of how to protect these lands in perpetuity.
1
Beautifully written. This is one of the most profoundly important issues of our day. We must protect and restore the natural world and the beauty of the earth.
Without the earth, the land, the water, and the plants and wild animals who share the earth with us, we have nothing.
Without the earth, the land, the water, and the plants and wild animals who share the earth with us, we have nothing.
5
"Today is always still.
All the life is now.
And now, is time to fulfill the promises we once made.
Because we did not do it yesterday and because tomorrow will be too late.
Now !". [Antonio Machado]
The United States of America was the first Democracy, and the first environment protector under the shelter of law and inveterate public and private institutions policies.
We still rely on the promises, and we still need to believe in pledges and commitments.
"Because everyone else happiness comes about to be necessary to us, although does not derive from it nothing else, but the pleasure to contemplate it ´s beauty" [Adam Smith].
Now!
All the life is now.
And now, is time to fulfill the promises we once made.
Because we did not do it yesterday and because tomorrow will be too late.
Now !". [Antonio Machado]
The United States of America was the first Democracy, and the first environment protector under the shelter of law and inveterate public and private institutions policies.
We still rely on the promises, and we still need to believe in pledges and commitments.
"Because everyone else happiness comes about to be necessary to us, although does not derive from it nothing else, but the pleasure to contemplate it ´s beauty" [Adam Smith].
Now!
1
In 1961 my parents gave me the summer of a 14-year-old boy's fantasies: they put me on a Greyhound bus with a suitcase in my hand and a $20 bill in my pocket to spend the summer at my grandparents' farm in the Kiamichi Mountains of southeast Oklahoma. A small year-round creek flowed through their land and it was a rare day when I wasn't sitting on its bank or wading its waters trying to catch a "monster" largemouth bass. In that stream, that meant anything over 15" in length.
One day I asked Gramma if the water in Silver Creek was safe to drink. It was 1/4 mile or more from the creek to the house and I hated to interrupt my labors just to quench my thirst. She said that she did just that when she was fishing and got thirsty. She added that there was a saying that if you drank from the waters of Silver Creek, the valley through which it flowed would always be "home." Before noon the next day I was standing waist deep in Silver Creek, drinking its water from my cupped hands, despite not being the least bit thirsty.
Today, whenever I visit Silver Creek, I bring bottled water from the supermarket. Corporate farming of the timber in the surrounding mountains, with herbicides and pesticides considered essential, and chicken and hog barns with thousands of animals' waste leaching into the soil and the water long ago rendered Silver's water unsafe, if not downright toxic.
Gramma was right, though. It does feel like home each time I go. I just wish I could drink the water.
One day I asked Gramma if the water in Silver Creek was safe to drink. It was 1/4 mile or more from the creek to the house and I hated to interrupt my labors just to quench my thirst. She said that she did just that when she was fishing and got thirsty. She added that there was a saying that if you drank from the waters of Silver Creek, the valley through which it flowed would always be "home." Before noon the next day I was standing waist deep in Silver Creek, drinking its water from my cupped hands, despite not being the least bit thirsty.
Today, whenever I visit Silver Creek, I bring bottled water from the supermarket. Corporate farming of the timber in the surrounding mountains, with herbicides and pesticides considered essential, and chicken and hog barns with thousands of animals' waste leaching into the soil and the water long ago rendered Silver's water unsafe, if not downright toxic.
Gramma was right, though. It does feel like home each time I go. I just wish I could drink the water.
25
As Tucsonans know, miners have despoiled great swaths of the area around Tucson, with another proposed Canadian owned mine to be dug in a birding/hiking area near Mt. Wrightson. The mining laws need to be changed, and out of staters stopped from despoiling our land and precious water. Great article. Is anyone listening to you? Anyone who cares and can do something?
6
Holding our government accountable is almost impossible because the success stories are few and far between. Either party Dem. or Rep. all are responsible for the constant decline of our environment. World wide it's the same lip service to this danger humans face, not the planet.
First the earth will cry out in pain, but in the end will heal.
First the earth will cry out in pain, but in the end will heal.
2
Mr. Udall sidesteps the real issue here. On the one hand, we have the Canyon, the most beloved natural formation in the country. On the other hand, we have a matter that Mr. Udall simply ignores. Uranium is the most important mineral for our national security, unless we want to disarm our nuclear arsenal and rely on the good faith of Mr. Putin. Mining uranium is extremely dangerous. And uranium deposits are rare. Our choices come down to mining it near Indian reservations, near other peoples, near the Canyon, or not mining it at all. The challenge is to determine the lesser of all evils. To summarily decide that the Canyon comes first at the likely cost of human lives is environmentalism out of control. I've been to the Canyon half a dozen times. It's one of my favorite places. I have also been to nearby reservations and met the people. This is a no brainer for me. Endangering Native American lives to keep drinking water in the Canyon pure is unconscionable. Human life comes first. Quality drinking water in the Canyon doesn't come close.
1
At a time when man-made climate alteration that is causing drought worldwide, now threatens many water sources in the west, it is imperative that any water, especially that which is the sole water resource for a community, needs protection from being despoiled. President Obama, who has been one of the most environmentally-proactive Presidents in US history, needs to once again act to thwart the greed of developers, so that yet another precious resource is not destroyed.
3
I'm what might be called the rabble that took the bus ride to the over crowded Grand Canyon destination. I also flown over the SW and as big as Grand Canyon is it's only a small part of the natural beauty of the region. I can see why the people have lived there would want to try to make a living even if it's from tourism. they have little else. Do the Monasteries In the Pyrenees or the ski resorts in the Alps destroy it for everyone? There's plenty of wildness left. Look at it from 45 thousand feet. Should wealthy whites tell these people how to live and what to do with their land?
There are other countries mining Uranium around the world. Can it be
done safely? Somehow I don't think the SW is going to turn into a radioactive wasteland because uranium mining.
There are other countries mining Uranium around the world. Can it be
done safely? Somehow I don't think the SW is going to turn into a radioactive wasteland because uranium mining.
The threat of ruining of spoiling the Grand Canyon in exchange for short term financial gain is unacceptable.
2
Gee Mark, must be nice to run the Grand Canyon essentially at will. I've been trying to get a non-commercial river permit for over 25 years now and still no joy. At the same time, while a citizen of this country since birth, I take a back seat to the $40M a year commercial rafting industry that has done more to ruin the inner canyon and prevent citizens from getting access all in the name of their bottom line. Why else do you think the mining and ranching industries are any different. Protect it sure - I'll agree to that. End the commercial profit from public lands that belong to US.
Why must we mine for uranium at all; much less in the Grand Canyon. Surely we have enough uranium in stock to sustain our armaments. And the nuclear power industry is winding down; still with no secure repository for nuclear waste. Why do we need more...?
3
People get carried away with this environmental malarkey, but protecting critical watersheds makes more sense than artificially drawing the park's or reservation boundaries. The Havasupai reservation, Havasu Creek, and Havasu Falls are little known treasures that deserve special protection. Don't allow anything that will damage Havasu Creek.
2
Fantastic illustration.
1
Ultimately we will lose most if not all unpolluted waters and undeveloped wildlife habitats in the USA unless we stabilize this nation's resource consuming, jobs demanding, polluting human population. Mark Udall and our "major" environmental groups need to be spending at least half their time advocating to stop the 30 million per decade increase in the US population that is now intentionally rigged-fed by, 80% due, to our highest in the world immigration rate of 1 million legal, plus 100,000's per year more illegal immigrants that get to stay due to intentional elite sabotage of the enforcement of our immigration laws. This massive increase in our population in defiance of the popular will completely violates the sovereignty of our citizens, destroys the democratic majority's ability to do self determination, make this nation in to what we want it to be - destroys our ability to long-term preserve natural wonders like the Grand Canyon. If our leaders get to double legal immigration to 2 million, and also still not enforce our immigration laws as they are always proposing in contradiction to all polls. The resulting, approaching 1 billion US population by 2100 will degrade the USA into a polluted nightmare, where all natural ecosystems have been annihilated, that is as bad as the "rivers full of dead pigs" and air pollution "night time in the day" catastrophe that China is today.
13
Atually, we should close the EPA for a few years because IT seems to be the greatest danger to those depending on western rivers. These concerns can be handled by each state's enviro department anyway.
You're never going to be happy with having all decisions made in Washington, D.C. by people who never have to answer to ANYone. Has any person had to answer for that disaster in August/September?
When government gets things wrong, the people have no avenue for justice. Ask the peoiple who have lost their health insurance multiple times in the past few years thanks to Mr. Obama's legacy-building dreams.
You're never going to be happy with having all decisions made in Washington, D.C. by people who never have to answer to ANYone. Has any person had to answer for that disaster in August/September?
When government gets things wrong, the people have no avenue for justice. Ask the peoiple who have lost their health insurance multiple times in the past few years thanks to Mr. Obama's legacy-building dreams.
2
The difference here, of course--one that KY's coal barons spend millions to obscure in the public mind--is between a single, isolated accident (largely attributable to poor record-keeping at the closed mine, not to EPA negligence) and the willful destruction of a national treasure by the extraction industry.
2
One of our truly great treasures and wonder ... The Grand Canyon. You feel as if you're looking into the earth's soul when hiking or rafting the canyon and fully begin to understand earth's geological history. I came away with reverence and wonder. There is no excuse to treat our country's and the world's great wonder with greed to destroy what has taken eons. Our President needs to work to protect the Grand Canyon.
8
Yes our President needs to work to protect the Grand Canyon. He should give another speech.!
1
So our Bamiyan Buddha is next?
2
The headline of this story really pulled me in. Just a year ago my wife and I were startled to hear what may be the penultimate word on human so-called civilization uttered by the recorded voice of a westbound Hermit Road bus in Grand Canyon National Park: "We are now approaching the Abyss".
3
Water connects all life on earth. Without clean water, there is no life. We must protect the waters that sustain us. As we pollute the water, we pollute all life that uses the water. This pollution is most impactful at the lowest levels (the microbial life in all soils and waters) but also concentrates up the food chain to humans. Many of our chronic diseases are related to exposures to toxins, many time through our water. And the problem is getting much worse every day.
6
No need for a new permanent ban- you prayed at nearly every spring along the way.
1
President Obama might draw a lesson from President Clinton. Long after repeal of Glass-Steagall, Monica Lewinsky, and some more positive aspects of his Presidency are forgotten, Bill Clinton will remain known and eventually appreciated and revered for his creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalnte National Monument.
There are two books which I consider must reading for understanding the fundamental issues: "The Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey (previously sold in, but now banned by, Park Service bookstores) and "Everett Ruess: A Vagabond For Beauty", edited by William Rusho. Though approaching the true value of the Southwest -- especially the Colorado Plateau -- from opposite directions, both are brilliant and enjoyable explications of what it's all about.
Take your pick and follow the lead of George P. Hayduke or Everett Ruess, but do follow one. The loss of the Grand Canyon and much of the rest of the Plateau can only be appreciated when you have mixed your soul with it, when comprehension is visceral. One must move past Udall's righteous piece.
When the Feds wanted to dam the Grand Canyon in the '60s, one of their arguments was that turning it into a lake would allow more people to see it by floating around in boats. The Sierra Club, in response, ran an ad asking whether people thought flooding the Sistine Chapel would be a good idea, so people in boats could get a better look at Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling. As a result, it lost its tax-exempt status.
There are two books which I consider must reading for understanding the fundamental issues: "The Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey (previously sold in, but now banned by, Park Service bookstores) and "Everett Ruess: A Vagabond For Beauty", edited by William Rusho. Though approaching the true value of the Southwest -- especially the Colorado Plateau -- from opposite directions, both are brilliant and enjoyable explications of what it's all about.
Take your pick and follow the lead of George P. Hayduke or Everett Ruess, but do follow one. The loss of the Grand Canyon and much of the rest of the Plateau can only be appreciated when you have mixed your soul with it, when comprehension is visceral. One must move past Udall's righteous piece.
When the Feds wanted to dam the Grand Canyon in the '60s, one of their arguments was that turning it into a lake would allow more people to see it by floating around in boats. The Sierra Club, in response, ran an ad asking whether people thought flooding the Sistine Chapel would be a good idea, so people in boats could get a better look at Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling. As a result, it lost its tax-exempt status.
7
I've backpacked and spent the night along the Tonto Trail on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon where the "radioactive" stream flows down. I had to carry two days worth of water that day because the water in that stream was radioactive. Imagine hiking through a National Park where you can't even filter and drink the water, because someone mined there years ago!
That's why we have national parks - it's for the nation's citizens, not for the corporate miners.
That's why we have national parks - it's for the nation's citizens, not for the corporate miners.
46
Thank you, Senator Udall, for this op-ed and for all that you did while in Congress, serving for sixteen years, to protect our public lands. Our state of Colorado misses your voice of reason, your commitment to protecting and preserving the beauty of our state and of the whole American West, and your willingness to listen. I don't think Colorado has ever had a Senator who worked so hard to make sure that the range of disparate voices on natural resources issues were heard.
My wife and I continue to regret that you no longer represent our state in the U.S. Senate. I don't think, in fairness, that you ran a very effective re-election campaign in 2014, but that is not the only explanation for your defeat after only one term as a highly effective, and respected, member of the Senate.
You were a victim both of a historically low turnout in the 2014 general election and of an appallingly unprofessional display of journalism by the Denver Post, the state's largest newspaper, which did not see fit to inform the public of your opponent's extreme views on social issues or your many contributions to the state's well-being.
I hope your public service career is not over. I hope that you will continue to raise your voice as a defender of the West's treasured, but fragile, ecosystems and landscapes. I hope that you will continue, as you have throughout your career, to honor the legacy of your dad, Morris Udall, and your uncle, Stewart Udall.
Best to you from our family.
My wife and I continue to regret that you no longer represent our state in the U.S. Senate. I don't think, in fairness, that you ran a very effective re-election campaign in 2014, but that is not the only explanation for your defeat after only one term as a highly effective, and respected, member of the Senate.
You were a victim both of a historically low turnout in the 2014 general election and of an appallingly unprofessional display of journalism by the Denver Post, the state's largest newspaper, which did not see fit to inform the public of your opponent's extreme views on social issues or your many contributions to the state's well-being.
I hope your public service career is not over. I hope that you will continue to raise your voice as a defender of the West's treasured, but fragile, ecosystems and landscapes. I hope that you will continue, as you have throughout your career, to honor the legacy of your dad, Morris Udall, and your uncle, Stewart Udall.
Best to you from our family.
41
Given the likelihood of a Republican president for the next eight years and the dreadful consequences for any conservation action, Obama should use his executive powers to protect as much wilderness as possible while the grownups are still in office.
6
Remember that your "protect as much wilderness" from Berkley is a "steal as much land as you can" to those who lose access, property rights and are evicted.
Look, I know this isn't politically correct. Yes, the effects of uranium on the Canyon waters are distressing. And pollution of the air from a coal-fired power plant is indefensible. However, this pollution is barely perceptible. By contrast, the tour helicopters can't be missed. And if you go to the West Side of the Canyon, you can venture out on the Skywalk, $200 for a deluxe package. Even worse than this crass commercialism are the foreign tourists who fly into Phoenix, take tour buses to the Canyon, and swamp the South Rim. occasionally falling into the Canyon and dying because they get too close to the edge. I know that the idea of our national parks is to make natural beauty accessible. But large crowds that mill about for a couple of hours before boarding their buses for a flight to see Old Faithful erupt and then completing their tour with a visit to the largest ball of sting are on some kid of bargain tour that can't help but interfere with those who seek to appreciate the Canyon. Those who want to camp in the Canyon need to apply for permits. By contrast, unregulated bus tourism substantially undermines the experience of others. Bargain tourism is a nuisance and more. Regulating such tourism would do far more to enhance your visit to the Canyon than any other single reform.
6
The people of Arizona need to send representatives to Washington who will work to protect the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon. Why is John McCain not involved? A multi term senator who ran for President - he should be speaking out in support of the preservation of our natural resources and protecting the incredible beauty of his home state.
15
John McCain? You mean the same John McCain who is giving Oak Flats to a Canadian mining company for open copper mining? You got to be kidding. He does not appear to be a defender of our National Parks and it appears does not care about Native American Indians who live in these parks or its environs.
1
Our boy John is too beholden to the mining industry - which is the real source of Republican influence money in the Copper State.
1
Pure greed and nothing more is pushing this. They are hurting for revenue. Do what the rest have done...build a casino miles from the GC and leave the palce alone. STOP the mining and any expansion of building anything that would make the place busier than before.
In fact maybe it is time to start selling a LIMITED amount of tickets to see the place. Advertise in advance and let everyone know, no ticket no Grand Canyon or any really popular National Park. Sometimes the wait is well over an hour to get in and that is just to danged many people.
But this greed thing in America is going to ruin us.
In fact maybe it is time to start selling a LIMITED amount of tickets to see the place. Advertise in advance and let everyone know, no ticket no Grand Canyon or any really popular National Park. Sometimes the wait is well over an hour to get in and that is just to danged many people.
But this greed thing in America is going to ruin us.
4
You know, I am getting more and more disgusted with this country and the mad money grabs. Its painful to see these types of decisions even being considered. I am ashamed and hope the rest of the world really does not believe that most Americans support this.
21
Money schemes of private industry are still subject to the court system, even if it takes a while. But when Eric Holder or the BLM or the EPA deny people a fair chance, there is no option available to the people unless they want to just ditch the government and start over.
It is interesting to note the tribal participation in this legislation as the Hualapai have already built that ghastly "diving board" out over the canyon rim on their land and operate non-stop helicopter flights from Vegas that land at the water's edge with their accompanying racket from dawn to dusk all summer.
The Navajos want to build a tram to the confluence of the LCR, which would be a complete abomination. Their recently elected president has dropped that project for now but these things have a way of remerging.
And the National Park Service recently completed the construction of huge new parking lots on the South Rim to accommodate more cars and tour buses. The wait to get in the park was an hour or more most of this summer.
So, yes, the Grand Canyon needs to be protected. But uranium mines are only one of the threats that face it.
The Navajos want to build a tram to the confluence of the LCR, which would be a complete abomination. Their recently elected president has dropped that project for now but these things have a way of remerging.
And the National Park Service recently completed the construction of huge new parking lots on the South Rim to accommodate more cars and tour buses. The wait to get in the park was an hour or more most of this summer.
So, yes, the Grand Canyon needs to be protected. But uranium mines are only one of the threats that face it.
36
I do not know the truth of these situations, but probably all public lands need many more protections than they get. Just consider what grazing alone has done to National Forests. It is a shame that money seems to talk and the natural resources that we love and that refresh and nourish us, take the hit.
2
President Obama should use the Antiquities Act to set aside every acre of federally owned land as is conceivably possible. Do it parcel by parcel to break it into as many separate executive orders as he can. The Republicans are gonna scream bloody murder and vow to repeal each and every one. Make it as cumbersome as possible for should the Republicans succeed in electing the next President.
I believe there are more citizens than not, regardless of party affiliation or leaning, who prefer preservation over exploitation of the nation's lands. The Republicans might find themselves facing some stiff resistance to the reversal of every set aside parcel of public lands.
I believe there are more citizens than not, regardless of party affiliation or leaning, who prefer preservation over exploitation of the nation's lands. The Republicans might find themselves facing some stiff resistance to the reversal of every set aside parcel of public lands.
59
Many feel that the federal lands in all these states other than what is actually used for the military should be deeded over to the states. Let the states handle things going on within their borders.
Doesn't your state have to answer to you more than Washington, D.C?
Doesn't your state have to answer to you more than Washington, D.C?
2
the states gave up all claims to federal lands when they joined the Union, they have never owned and should never own those lands. they dont have the money for managing them, they can barely manage the state parks they already have. if it were up to states like Arizona or Wyoming, places like Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon would have been developed a long time ago. it is a good thing the feds own so much land, without the land being public we would not have these special areas.
Western state governments are owned by cattle, mining, oil and forestry companies which would cheerfully strip mine every inch to make a buck. Allowing states to 'manage' federal land would be catastophic.
How can this even be considered as OK? This is a world treasure….they have many other options….when will this raw greed exploitation of OUR resources end? This is not OK.
16
All the prayers in the world will not help
only action will help.....unless u believe in miracles
The actions of man made it worse and the actions of man can make it better.
Prayer is inaction.
only action will help.....unless u believe in miracles
The actions of man made it worse and the actions of man can make it better.
Prayer is inaction.
9
For anyone who has spent time at the Canyon -- and especially perhaps for those who haven't -- this is a sad prospect and potentially another crime of unfettered capitalism against society.
14
Thanks to Mr. Obama and Hillary Clinmton's personal need for a quick influx of cash into her ''foundations'' that fund the Clintons, the uranium being developed is more than likely owned by Russians. Doen't that make you feel so much better about having HER as a President?
This was the deal where ownership or something was hidden with an entity in Canada for a while. Money was worked around places to apparently launder it.
This was the deal where ownership or something was hidden with an entity in Canada for a while. Money was worked around places to apparently launder it.
2
Will we ever grow sufficiently as people to recognize that some things, such as places of awesome natural beauty, are worth more than the mere money that can be wrung from them? We should not destroy our natural treasures so a mere handful of people can profit from their destruction.
15
Yes, Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir did.
Teddy Roosevelt was appalled at what the Republican Party had become during the Taft Administration immediately after he left office. That's why he ran as a third party candidate for president in 1912 under the "Bull Moose" party. I can imagine what he would think about the Republican/Tea Party of today, the actions (er, I mean non-actions) of those in the House, and of the 2016 Republican/Tea Party presidential contenders, particularly Donald Trump.
Teddy Roosevelt was appalled at what the Republican Party had become during the Taft Administration immediately after he left office. That's why he ran as a third party candidate for president in 1912 under the "Bull Moose" party. I can imagine what he would think about the Republican/Tea Party of today, the actions (er, I mean non-actions) of those in the House, and of the 2016 Republican/Tea Party presidential contenders, particularly Donald Trump.
3
Another national treasure on the scale of the Grand Canyon? Mark Udall. Thank you Senator Udall for your work protecting both our natural history and our civil liberties. Please consider representing the people of Colorado again.
13
Then again, he got the government involved in this. When gov't repairs, the money really flows. Did Michelle Obama go to college with anybody in mine reclamation, too?
The abomination proposed to be built at the confluence of the Little Colorado and the Colorado must be stopped. I understand the Navajo Nation's need for revenue but there are other ways to achieve that without this scheme. This along with the uranium mining in the watershed of the Grand Canyon are just a few more examples of shameless money driven exploitation of the inheritance of future generations for the enrichment of a few. Further north of that area in the Cedar Mesa/ Bears Ears area of southeastern Utah an effort is being made to encourage Obama to declare a national monument before he leaves office. That is an area rich in pre European settlement human artifacts as well as stunning canyons. And even further north than that area an effort to get a Greater Canyonlands monument designated which would better protect the vast areas that were left out of the designation of Canyonlands national park in 1972.
15
David Brooks yesterday spoke of the dysfunction of the Republican Anarchists. They just like to get what they want when they want it and the rest of us are there for their benefit.
15
I think it's also important to make sure that any plan to build a tourist hotel complex near the little colorado intersection or the bright angel trail intersection with the river should be stopped.
16
Have we turned a corner as viewing water as a 'commodity'; from the days when Gov. Jeb Bush contemplated selling the Everglades water to ENRON subsidiary (See St. Pete Times)? Water in the West has always been proprietary (prior appropriation) while the East has been riparian. We have the Mormons to thank for the policy in the West. And they tried to have the reasonable-beneficial use doctrine struck down in Florida but failed (Florida vs. Deseret Ranch, a member of the nefarious FL. Land Council).
Jefferson, Emerson, Whitman and Lincoln -- with the origins of our Union clear in their thoughts -- all worried aloud whether the spark of genius 'E Pluribus Unum' could last move than several generations, that the spirit behind the Declaration and Constitution would pass beyond the veil of forgetting.
Today, we have inverted our motto -- 'the one out of the many.' As Solzhenitsyn reminded us on Harvard Yard, we have lost our understanding of social obligations -- that we only focus on rights not duties, not obligations.
The sanctity of water may be on its way to becoming a 'leading or guiding myth.' But we are not in any sense on the path to solidarity that fired the Velvet revolution in Central Europe that toppled Soviet authoritarianism. The movement of poets and writers (Charter 77) and the labor unions led by heroes like Vaclav Havel. Not Reagan, for God's sake.
It was Reagan who dismantled the National Water Council and River Basin Commissions.
WAKE UP
Jefferson, Emerson, Whitman and Lincoln -- with the origins of our Union clear in their thoughts -- all worried aloud whether the spark of genius 'E Pluribus Unum' could last move than several generations, that the spirit behind the Declaration and Constitution would pass beyond the veil of forgetting.
Today, we have inverted our motto -- 'the one out of the many.' As Solzhenitsyn reminded us on Harvard Yard, we have lost our understanding of social obligations -- that we only focus on rights not duties, not obligations.
The sanctity of water may be on its way to becoming a 'leading or guiding myth.' But we are not in any sense on the path to solidarity that fired the Velvet revolution in Central Europe that toppled Soviet authoritarianism. The movement of poets and writers (Charter 77) and the labor unions led by heroes like Vaclav Havel. Not Reagan, for God's sake.
It was Reagan who dismantled the National Water Council and River Basin Commissions.
WAKE UP
25
In normal times, this would be a bipartisan effort to preserve one of the natural wonders of the world and a land and watershed sacred to millions of our citizens. However, because the GOP has become a radical socialist party, one willing to privatize all profit but socialize all costs, no legislative action will occur to protect these lands.
We have come to the time in our history when we must turn in a new direction, where if you are going to privatize all profit, you must privatize all cost. When you have to pay full freight, a great number of ventures are less interesting. Time to make exploiters assume the full costs of their ventures and when those costs can not be fully covered, deny permission for the venture in the first place.
We have come to the time in our history when we must turn in a new direction, where if you are going to privatize all profit, you must privatize all cost. When you have to pay full freight, a great number of ventures are less interesting. Time to make exploiters assume the full costs of their ventures and when those costs can not be fully covered, deny permission for the venture in the first place.
13
As Edward Abbey said… well, never mind. Look him up. Desert Solitaire.
The big problem is that we think places like the Grand Canyon are 'out there' in the wildness, somewhere else, not our homes. Whereas, in reality, these places are our backyards. Until we start cleaning up our homes, our ways of living, our ever-consumptive guilt, we'll keep messing them up furiously.
The big problem is that we think places like the Grand Canyon are 'out there' in the wildness, somewhere else, not our homes. Whereas, in reality, these places are our backyards. Until we start cleaning up our homes, our ways of living, our ever-consumptive guilt, we'll keep messing them up furiously.
17
Like many of those who have commented on this article I have floated over 200 miles through the Grand Canyon, (my last trip ended 10 days ago). While reviewing the current regulations for private trips down the I learned that there is a shopping mall proposed on Native American lands at the confluence of the Colorado River and the Little Colorado River. The stunning beauty of the confluence is breathtaking and must be preserved from exploitation. The argument for is simple, the extreme poverty of the Native Americans in the region must be addressed and this commercial development would help. The arguments against are equally obvious the permanent alliterating of a World treasure. This project should be stopped and the Native American interest resolved by the United States Government purchasing this land and declaring it off limits to development going forward.
35
This commercial development would help those who *own* this commercial development! Surely, if the Native Americans there live in extreme poverty, how is working for the minimum wage - or less - in a commercial complex owned by rich white men with no connection to the tribe or even to the region going to help them?
"Earlier this year, my wife and I were invited to join native leaders on a rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. We’ve made many such trips before."
Of course you have. You are a politicians. For an ordinary American, not of the ruling class, obtaining a permit for a private trip through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River can mean a wait of 20 to 30 years. Get Obama or Udall on one of your rafts and a permit will be forthcoming poste haste. The National Park Service manages the resources it controls, first for the rulers and then, if anything is left, for th people.
Trusting the federal government to protect America's "sacred lands" is ludicrous. As a class, politicians are probably the least reliable people for the job, even if we brought back Teddy Roosevelt. I don't know where Mark Udall's father stood on the issue at the time, but the greatest violation of Arizona's heritage was perpetrated by the federal Bureau of Reclamation--know as Wreck the Nation) and the Army Corps of Engineers. With the approval of Barry Goldwater perhaps Udall senior, the federal government built Glen Canyon Dam and buried what was no doubt the Colorado River's most beautiful canyon under what is now-polluted Lake Powell.
Today Lake Powell and :Lake Mead are both less than half full due to a prolonged drought in the Colorado River basin. There is a move afoot among those who love the river to tear down Glen Canyon damn and send its waters down river to Lake Mead. What say you Mr. Udall?
Of course you have. You are a politicians. For an ordinary American, not of the ruling class, obtaining a permit for a private trip through the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River can mean a wait of 20 to 30 years. Get Obama or Udall on one of your rafts and a permit will be forthcoming poste haste. The National Park Service manages the resources it controls, first for the rulers and then, if anything is left, for th people.
Trusting the federal government to protect America's "sacred lands" is ludicrous. As a class, politicians are probably the least reliable people for the job, even if we brought back Teddy Roosevelt. I don't know where Mark Udall's father stood on the issue at the time, but the greatest violation of Arizona's heritage was perpetrated by the federal Bureau of Reclamation--know as Wreck the Nation) and the Army Corps of Engineers. With the approval of Barry Goldwater perhaps Udall senior, the federal government built Glen Canyon Dam and buried what was no doubt the Colorado River's most beautiful canyon under what is now-polluted Lake Powell.
Today Lake Powell and :Lake Mead are both less than half full due to a prolonged drought in the Colorado River basin. There is a move afoot among those who love the river to tear down Glen Canyon damn and send its waters down river to Lake Mead. What say you Mr. Udall?
4
And your point is??? Let the free market preserve national treasures?
6
Simple question: Would you rather entrust the lands to corporations?
We may not have always done the right things in the past, but rather than use prior wrongs as a barrier to the future, let's use them as they should be - as guidance to avoid repeating.
We may not have always done the right things in the past, but rather than use prior wrongs as a barrier to the future, let's use them as they should be - as guidance to avoid repeating.
7
No the point is Obama bad, Tea Party good, this land is my land not yours and government get out of here. And don't you dare come after my medicare.
2
Ground water is going to run through the ore, dissolving some uranium and thorium, whether it is mined or not.
1
the mining creates passageways for the groundwater to get to the ore, Mr Katz
1
Actually, you are wrong. very little water reaches into ore beds until they are disturbed. There are no Superfund sites for naturally occurring runoff. Once a mine is opened up, and most uranium mines are open pit mines, broken rock is exposed to water action. Uranium loaded dust it blown around by the wind. One uranium and other radioactive materials get into the atmosphere they are emitting radioactive particles for centuries.
2
But that ground water didn't run through radioactive material until *after* some minerals corporation mined the area, decided that there wasn't sufficient profit to be made, and then simply walked away from the damage that it had done. *That* is when the water began to flow through the ore, after its natural course of drainage had been diverted and destroyed by the unnatural activity of mining.
Surely, that point is easily graspable by even the most casual skimmer of the article, is it not?
Surely, that point is easily graspable by even the most casual skimmer of the article, is it not?
Well, since it looks like the Republicans win the Presidency in 2016, we all know the fate of public lands. Democrats better vote for once.
17
What a shame business people can't see beyond their noses. They, like the right wing nuts, care nothing about the country, the environment or the people.
19
How, even in this crazy time, can this Congress not do this one right thing and pass this bill?
15
The idea of Obama doing something without the approval of the Banks and the Generals is kind of silly, isn't it? The mining interests own Congress so anything Obama might try to do will be blocked.
The head waters of the Colorado are being Fracked for Gas so the River is going to be dead soon.
We would have to get at the root of our Governments problem, corruption and no one with a chance of winning any elective office is going to do that.
So, in short , we are screwed.
The head waters of the Colorado are being Fracked for Gas so the River is going to be dead soon.
We would have to get at the root of our Governments problem, corruption and no one with a chance of winning any elective office is going to do that.
So, in short , we are screwed.
13
What pray tell has Obama got to do with deciding how the EPA prioritizes sites for clean-up?
5
"The Colorado, with less than a tenth the flow of the Columbia, supports nearly 30 million people, three times the population of Oregon & Washington combined." so says the Oregonian newspaper.
If the Southwest chooses to continue poisoning its waters with runoff from mining in a period of global warming (you pick the cause) please don't look toward our Pacific Northwest as a source of supply.
The Grand Canyon National Park could continue to accommodate tourists, even with toxic water flowing thousands of feet below the rim. Natives are obviously not happy with that prospect.
You've got troubles, right there in your river cities, Southwest, with a capital P & that stands for your pools.
If the Southwest chooses to continue poisoning its waters with runoff from mining in a period of global warming (you pick the cause) please don't look toward our Pacific Northwest as a source of supply.
The Grand Canyon National Park could continue to accommodate tourists, even with toxic water flowing thousands of feet below the rim. Natives are obviously not happy with that prospect.
You've got troubles, right there in your river cities, Southwest, with a capital P & that stands for your pools.
22
"don't look toward our Pacific Northwest as a source of supply"
As a former, long-time employee of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, let me assure you that "your" Pacific Northwest has long since been looked toward as a source of supply. Since the '60's, in fact.
As a former, long-time employee of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, let me assure you that "your" Pacific Northwest has long since been looked toward as a source of supply. Since the '60's, in fact.
I looked at that the link Roger Clark provided for viewing the map of the existing and proposed uranium mines surrounding Grand Canyon. It says it all and, to say the least, I am appalled that the US government would even consider allowing these mining companies come near our natural treasures and especially one of our crown jewels which the Grand Canyon is. I have been numerous times to the South and North Rim of the Grand Canyonand have taken visiting European friends there to see its beauty. They are just awestruck by its enormity and beauty and I certainly never tire of admiring its grandeur.
Maybe one solution is to encourage visitors to the Grand Canyon, we know there are millions of them, sign a petition explaining the kind of destruction and poisoning mining will have on its environment and the native tribes that live there. Maybe this is worth a try? We certainly should do our utmost to persuede our government to save this "Grand Jewel" in our park system.
Maybe one solution is to encourage visitors to the Grand Canyon, we know there are millions of them, sign a petition explaining the kind of destruction and poisoning mining will have on its environment and the native tribes that live there. Maybe this is worth a try? We certainly should do our utmost to persuede our government to save this "Grand Jewel" in our park system.
23
Okay, Upstate, I also looked at that map-of-the-month map. My impression is more mixed. With the exception of the Orphan Mine, the other sites are on BLM lands outside the existing boundaries of Grand Canyon National Park. I understand why Navajos, Havasupais, and Paiutes are upset, but ask yourself where the radioactive materials come from in your next medical or dental x-ray. This debate is simplistic to a fault. Read the comments below, and the fault lies with bad miners or weak political responses; commenters deftly elide their own consumptive habits.
1
There are no radioactive materials in medical or dental x-ray procedures. Nor in CAT scans.
There are also no medical isotope uses that relate to uranium mining.
There are also no medical isotope uses that relate to uranium mining.
10
Take a visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. Drilling pads are essentially right up to the park boundary.
Ex Senator Udall should have mentioned that the Arizona governor and its Statehouse is doing all it can to OPEN the Grand Canyon to the Mining Industry, as well as opening the Tonto National Forest to mining as well.
Uraniam Mining in the Canyon, and Copper Mining in the Tonto National Forest. When one looks at what the Politicians in this state have done to the Education system, 50th in the Nation, pandered to the Private Prison Corp of America by spending 100 Million dollars to build 4 Prisons for that Company to operate, (might have to do with the $400,000 that the PPCA gave to the Governors Election Campaign, they have continued to ignore the Public Good that Education provides. They have stripped our Schools and University of over $100 Million in State Aid, - still owe the Education system over $300 million for failing to fund the program over the last 8 years in adjusting for Inflation that was demanded by a Public Vote years ago.
In Platos Words, the Governor and his cronies in the State House are the "TOWERING DESPOTS" in Arizonas Political Future. Barry Goldwater would turn over in his grave if he was aware what the Republican Despots are doing to this State!
Uraniam Mining in the Canyon, and Copper Mining in the Tonto National Forest. When one looks at what the Politicians in this state have done to the Education system, 50th in the Nation, pandered to the Private Prison Corp of America by spending 100 Million dollars to build 4 Prisons for that Company to operate, (might have to do with the $400,000 that the PPCA gave to the Governors Election Campaign, they have continued to ignore the Public Good that Education provides. They have stripped our Schools and University of over $100 Million in State Aid, - still owe the Education system over $300 million for failing to fund the program over the last 8 years in adjusting for Inflation that was demanded by a Public Vote years ago.
In Platos Words, the Governor and his cronies in the State House are the "TOWERING DESPOTS" in Arizonas Political Future. Barry Goldwater would turn over in his grave if he was aware what the Republican Despots are doing to this State!
56
There's even more going on. McCain signed away part of Apache sacred lands to a copper mining company.
Arizona has little use for its vast Native American population as it also has little use for its Latino population. But, those of us that care cannot wring our hands or bury our heads in the sand. Instead, we have to demand change and accountability any way we can. The best way is with your earnings. Don't support gangster Corporations by buying their products. Don't bank with any of the proven Banksters - Citibank, Bank of America, Chase and on and on. Don't invest in any Extraction Industry company, be they oil gas or mining. Since all these gangster Corporations live off our money, we must use our money wisely so we don't support environmental terrorism.
Arizona has little use for its vast Native American population as it also has little use for its Latino population. But, those of us that care cannot wring our hands or bury our heads in the sand. Instead, we have to demand change and accountability any way we can. The best way is with your earnings. Don't support gangster Corporations by buying their products. Don't bank with any of the proven Banksters - Citibank, Bank of America, Chase and on and on. Don't invest in any Extraction Industry company, be they oil gas or mining. Since all these gangster Corporations live off our money, we must use our money wisely so we don't support environmental terrorism.
12
Indeed telling how far down the Republicans have sunk in comparison to the "moderate" Nixon (creating the EPA) and Goldwater (introducing bill to expand park boundaries). Such initiatives would be blasphemy in todays circle of right wing nuts.
5
Glad you brought this up. McCain is giving Oak Flats to a CANADIAN mining company for open copper mining. How low can you go? He snuck a rider into the Defense Spending Bill. It is now up to the House to clean up the bill and reverse this insult not just to the San Carlos Apache but to the country as a whole.
2
Mining, and the 1872 Mining Act in particular, have been favorite targets of environmentalists for a long time. Examples such as the leaking uranium mines in Grand Canyon and the punctured Gold King Mine dam on the Animas River in August are easy to rail against, and with good reason, but there is also obliviousness in some complaints. Before readers rail against mining too much, they should look about their persons, including the device in theirs hands or on their laps or desks, and ask themselves how much their consuming habits are implicated in the reach of the modern mining industry. Uranium is low-hanging fruit. A lot of the other materials that come out of the ground--including copper, zinc, gold, silver, and other precious and rare earth minerals--result in a more complicated cost-benefit calculus. Here is a good place to invoke the credit card slogan, "What's in your wallet?"
3
But some places should be off limits, but won't be with voters like you continuing to vote for these clowns that only care for the 1%.
13
Too glib on every count. I don't vote for those clowns any more than you do, apparently. What I'm saying is that you and I are more implicated than we wish to admit in this problem of delimiting sacred and sacrificial spaces.
The 1872 Mining Act is the epitome of crony capitalism. Private profits, socialized costs. What more could a corporation want?
1
As this summer's pollution of the Animas River demonstrated, we need to address the problems of water pollution caused by mining. Everywhere. And of every substance we extract from the Earth, our home. I'd love to see a permanent ban on mining in the Grand Canyon, but a larger issue is that we modernize our mining regulations everywhere. Of course in a Congress where big oil, gas and mining have a lot of clout, this is problematic, but it shouldn't be ignored.
22
Very depressing article. My recent experience at a state park over the past year is not as bad, but is still indicative of what little respect apparently exists in America for our land: The park of all things is next to a firing range so if you decide to go on a nice pleasant hike and commune with nature--get away from it all--you have not only not gotten away from it all, you have had the worst of our modern life--sound of gunfire over and over--jammed into your head. The grotesque irony of it is enough to inspire disgust for our entire human race. I am now over 50 and still do not understand how the human race can so often just muck things up no matter where it turns...I think I will probably die with this thought in mind: Man--just an incompetent monkey.
13
The thing about the wilderness is the lack of NIMBY's. Thus over time all the things that NIMBY's hate tend to wind up there.
1
Another important move to further protect the Grand Canyon (which I've rafted) is to remove the Glen Canyon Dam which will return the Grand Canyon's river flow to normal. We fought having that dam built and continue to demand it's removal.
15
I have only just returned from a rafting trip down 188 miles of the Grand Canyon's Colorado River and the irreplaceable sacredness of this place is profoundly evident. Just before departing, we all learned of the Silverton Mine debacle that spilled millions of toxic chemicals into the Animas River and onward into the San Juan River. Sometimes terrible things are necessary to wake us up to insidious ongoing problems:
Abandoned mines are perpetually leaching toxic chemicals into surrounding lands and water!!!
Since water is a sacred treasure and all water is somethings drinking water, it is critical that the antiquated Mining Act be revised to address the ongoing lethal problems that abandoned mines are causing and that mines are off limits in proximity to water supplies, sacred lands, and pristine landscapes.
At a time when our dysfunctional Congress has allowed the critically important Land & Water Conservation Act to expire, only President Obama can save the Grand Canyon from a lethal demise. I fear the Mining Act revisions will have to wait for Congressional sanity to prevail in some other lifetime.
Abandoned mines are perpetually leaching toxic chemicals into surrounding lands and water!!!
Since water is a sacred treasure and all water is somethings drinking water, it is critical that the antiquated Mining Act be revised to address the ongoing lethal problems that abandoned mines are causing and that mines are off limits in proximity to water supplies, sacred lands, and pristine landscapes.
At a time when our dysfunctional Congress has allowed the critically important Land & Water Conservation Act to expire, only President Obama can save the Grand Canyon from a lethal demise. I fear the Mining Act revisions will have to wait for Congressional sanity to prevail in some other lifetime.
64
The only thing sacred to the miners are the elusive greenbacks buried in the ground..... can't appeal to them on moral grounds, only legal.
11
Barack "TPP" "Arctic Oil Drilling" Obama does not care enough about the environment to worry about the Grand Canyon waters. But for those waters much of the Southwest would be thinly inhabited desert. Obama is no TR. Obama is the black Ronald Reagan by temperament and policy prescriptions regarding environmental protection.
3
I hope that Mark Udall would take this plea to Public Television....ASAP
9
The Grand Canyon truly is Gods own country - May our politicians have the courage to protect it forever. President Obama - boldly go for executive action to protect several more million acres - your countrymen are behind you.
8
The Republican politicians want to "give" all federal land in the West to the states. Can you imagine the fate of the environment then?
9
The thought of polluting the Grand Canyon water shed made me sick.
19
It is already polluted. We are talking about even greater pollution!
1
For his legacy, for the American people, President Obama could permanently protect the Grand Canyon's sacred waters from pollution by uranium mines. No one has protected the sweet mountains of Appalachia, Ky, WVa, VA, from the despoliation of strip-mining by huge coal companies that have cut off the tops of the mountains - making barren mesas where there were green hills - and throwing the horrific waste debris from their mining into the sparsely inhabited valleys below. President Obama's gift to his country before his second term ends, could be the passing of the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage national Monument Act, in concert with Native American Nations plea to ban all uanium mining on the Grand Canyon's sacred land. Senator Mark Udall's brilliant case here for the Grand Canyon waters, "at the Abyss", merits President Barack Obama's attention and action.
49
Many worry more about uranium mining than mining for other elements. The basic truth is that all mining creates the potential for toxic waste and seepage into waterways.
Look at the desecration brought to the landscape of coal mining areas, or the strip mines for copper and other minerals, or the toxics leaking from abandoned gold mines or earlier from the mercury mining. All mining presents the potential for contamination of waterways and surrounding areas.
In some cases this contamination can be minimized, but mining companies do not want to incur the expense. Just look at what coal mining companies have done to the Appalachian area. That is clearly visible to any who look.
Only by government taking a strong stance to close the mines, fine and incarcerate the owners and managers will we begin to see some improvement.
Please, President Obama, use your power to protect the country from pollution caused by extraction of resources from the land--both mining and oil and gas drilling.
Look at the desecration brought to the landscape of coal mining areas, or the strip mines for copper and other minerals, or the toxics leaking from abandoned gold mines or earlier from the mercury mining. All mining presents the potential for contamination of waterways and surrounding areas.
In some cases this contamination can be minimized, but mining companies do not want to incur the expense. Just look at what coal mining companies have done to the Appalachian area. That is clearly visible to any who look.
Only by government taking a strong stance to close the mines, fine and incarcerate the owners and managers will we begin to see some improvement.
Please, President Obama, use your power to protect the country from pollution caused by extraction of resources from the land--both mining and oil and gas drilling.
11
I do think President Obama should use his authority under the Antiquities Act to protect these areas around the central Canyon. It's an amazing place, and we need to protect it and not sell it off. I'll email the White House today, & I urge others to do the same.
25
Eldorado Springs, Colo.?
"Mining was far and away the most significant industry in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Colorado and has remained important since that time." ~ History Colorado
"Mining was far and away the most significant industry in nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Colorado and has remained important since that time." ~ History Colorado
And your point is what? That nothing else should matter, as long as there is money to be made?
There was a time when we feared that uranium was scarce, and that we needed to have sources within the US as a matter of national security.
Now we know uranium is far more common, and it is available from many friends, and it is no longer central to an arms race.
These laws that allow these mines are an artifact of a different time, and different concerns.
It is entirely reasonable to change the laws to deal with the concerns of our own times. A lot has happened in the last half century, and we need these laws to catch up to the changes.
Now we know uranium is far more common, and it is available from many friends, and it is no longer central to an arms race.
These laws that allow these mines are an artifact of a different time, and different concerns.
It is entirely reasonable to change the laws to deal with the concerns of our own times. A lot has happened in the last half century, and we need these laws to catch up to the changes.
65
"contaminated water — flowing underground through the mine’s radioactive ore — continues to poison a spring-fed creek deep within the canyon. It is a permanent loss"
I don't understand that. Mining doesn't put the ore in, it takes it out. If mining opens the ore to water, it can be closed again. I can see how mining can pollute, but I can't see how that becomes a "permanent" change that is beyond correction. Fix it.
I don't understand that. Mining doesn't put the ore in, it takes it out. If mining opens the ore to water, it can be closed again. I can see how mining can pollute, but I can't see how that becomes a "permanent" change that is beyond correction. Fix it.
10
Almost, Mark, but through the centuries, mines have, by virtue of removing and fracturing material, changed the distribution and flow of underground water. In fact, the wet mines of England can be credited with the impetus for the steam engine and the industrial revolution. I don't believe anyone has restored the density and structure of an underground mine, and certainly, the above-ground strip mines very graphically show what happens to water as it finds new routes to rivers and streams.
6
Prior to mining, uranium atoms were held firmly in place in solid bedrock. Slow seepage of water through bedrock over time would slowly release the small amounts available for solution, and the concentrations of uranium in flow water would decrease over the millions of years, Mining creates tunnels and numerous fractures in surrounding bedrock, creating new flow paths for water to flow at greatly increased rates. Mining also breaks down rock at every scale from meters to microscopic dust, greatly increasing the surface area where water can dissolve the uranium and carry it to surface springs, lower in the canyon. Think of household salt. If you purchased solid rock crystals, it would take a long time to dissolve the salt into water for cooking, because there is not much surface area for the water to wet. That's why it is manufactured in small crystals, to increase the surface area for solution to take place. It would be extremely expensive to reseal the loose dust and rocks, and likely impossible to reseal it as well as natural processes did, and impossible to reseal all the fractures.
7
Thank you gentlemen for the practical answers.
I accept that it would be difficult. I do not accept that it would be impossible.
The fractures extend only so far into the rock. Retaining walls and basement walls are routinely sealed, and while the project is much bigger, the principle would be the same. A sealant under pressure could penetrate the rock from inside the mine walls, if not all the way then to a significant degree. The lose material could be encapsulated in some similar surface sealant.
Perhaps it would not be perfect. It is not entirely impossible either.
I accept that it would be difficult. I do not accept that it would be impossible.
The fractures extend only so far into the rock. Retaining walls and basement walls are routinely sealed, and while the project is much bigger, the principle would be the same. A sealant under pressure could penetrate the rock from inside the mine walls, if not all the way then to a significant degree. The lose material could be encapsulated in some similar surface sealant.
Perhaps it would not be perfect. It is not entirely impossible either.
2
The Grand Canyon is the crown jewel in America's national park and wilderness system, America's greatest idea and gift to mankind. Unimpaired, permanent preservation of the watershed that continues to create the Grand Canyon, as well as sustain all life in it, is our duty as well as our gift to all those who come after us. President Obama, you have a rare personal opportunity to join and keep faith with Teddy Roosevelt and John Muir---Act now!
102
Surprisingly, the Grand Canyon is NOT part of the WIlderness System, although much of it is managed as such. (Yellowstone also has not been officially designated as Wilderness, either.)
1
this is not ok for our enviorment and animalis drink out of that water
6
To see a map of Grand Canyon uranium mines, please see: http://www.grandcanyontrust.org/blog/map-month-grand-canyon-uranium-mining
15
I looked at that map for it says it all and I am appalled that the US government would even consider allowing these mining companies come near our natural treasures and especially one of our crown jewels which the Grand Canyon is. I have been numerous times to the South and North Rim of the Grand Canyon and have taken visiting European friends there to see its beauty. They are just awestruck by its enormity and beauty and I certainly never tire of admiring its grandeur.
Maybe one solution is to encourage visitors to Grand Canyon, we know there are millions of them, sign a petition explaining the kind of destruction and poisoning mining will have on its environment and the native tribes that live there. Maybe this is worth a try?
Maybe one solution is to encourage visitors to Grand Canyon, we know there are millions of them, sign a petition explaining the kind of destruction and poisoning mining will have on its environment and the native tribes that live there. Maybe this is worth a try?
3
Thanks for posting this important link.
3
I applaud Mark's concern for maintaining the integrity of the Grand Canyon environs, and it is heart-warming to see the son following in his dad's footsteps (in high school around 1970, Stewart Udall's The Quiet Crisis made a positive, lasting impression on me). What seems particularly tragic here is the Catch-22 with regard to uranium-fed nuclear energy. Until recently, I was among the staunchest of "anti-nuke citizens," but alas, based on arguments presented eloquently by NASA's Jim Hansen, do not see how we can come close to meeting society's absurdly high energy appetite without it. It is the lesser of evils, fossil fuels being the chief villain. Something's got to give. I would prefer, pipe dream or not, it be our appetite for energy and not the integrity of our majestic environs.
1
There are some places where uranium mining might be OK. Grand Canyon is not one of them.
24
Solar energy is the way to go, Doug. Even in Maine, where it seems to rain all the time (at least, when I am fortunate enough to get up there), I see solar panels on barn roofs and near homes.
In areas of the United States where the sun shines brightly for most of the year, it's unconscionable that solar roofs aren't in use. In Europe they're run-of-the mill, and can even be made to look like regular roofing tiles.
No doubt it's in our power to design and manufacture batteries to store solar energy during rainy seasons. There's no incentive, though -- and I daresay that there's an active attempt on the part of our powerful fossil-fuel lobby to stymy that sort of effort.
In areas of the United States where the sun shines brightly for most of the year, it's unconscionable that solar roofs aren't in use. In Europe they're run-of-the mill, and can even be made to look like regular roofing tiles.
No doubt it's in our power to design and manufacture batteries to store solar energy during rainy seasons. There's no incentive, though -- and I daresay that there's an active attempt on the part of our powerful fossil-fuel lobby to stymy that sort of effort.
24
Well, our Republican Governor Martinez just vetoed the extension of the New Mexico state rebate for home solar. She also received tens of thousands of dollars from the Koch brother's organizations. Our utility PNM tried to charge those of us with rooftop solar to "connect" to the grid, as if we weren't already connected. We receive 4cents per kWh for what we produce and PNM charges 15 cents per kWh, and they use our solar input for the 15% renewable energy that they, by law, are required to use. So, solar is the way to go, if the Republicans don't kill it first.
2
Obama has been lax in using his powers to protect important American land. He must act; it would be an important part of his legacy.
17
The problem here is that the US understands heritage as something that is old and commercially unusable.
So the government will only act if there is a profit to be made, despite all those Sunday speeches.
So after these speeches are over and the costs remain, the projects will end and commercial exploitation of these resources will continue as if nothing had happened.
Europeans understand heritage and nature as something that will be very needed in the future, regardless of it's monetary value.
So Europeans spend billions on heritage projects, regardless whether they are nature or historical preservation projects.
Personally, I believe that the European way, and as seen in other regions such as increasingly in Asia too, is better than the way the US treats its heritage.
It simply lasts longer and has a much more positive effect on society.
If something is worth something, it should not be discarded because it also costs something.
So the government will only act if there is a profit to be made, despite all those Sunday speeches.
So after these speeches are over and the costs remain, the projects will end and commercial exploitation of these resources will continue as if nothing had happened.
Europeans understand heritage and nature as something that will be very needed in the future, regardless of it's monetary value.
So Europeans spend billions on heritage projects, regardless whether they are nature or historical preservation projects.
Personally, I believe that the European way, and as seen in other regions such as increasingly in Asia too, is better than the way the US treats its heritage.
It simply lasts longer and has a much more positive effect on society.
If something is worth something, it should not be discarded because it also costs something.
14
Wallace Stegner challenged American perceptions about the West. He taught us that the defining characteristic of the West is not space, as many Americans suppose; it is aridity. We are learning this in spades given the West's recent water troubles. Therefore, it seems counter-intuitive -- perhaps even suicidal -- that we would allow any further degradation of the Grand Canyon's watershed. But, then again, one should never be surprised by the grasping greed of those Stegner called "men with itching fingers," whose lust for land is insatiable.
108
"Today, four uranium mines operate within the watershed that drains directly into Grand Canyon National Park."
The entire drainage system of the Colorado River flows into the Park. The watershed is about the size of France. At its peak, there were 210 uranium mines in France.
The entire drainage system of the Colorado River flows into the Park. The watershed is about the size of France. At its peak, there were 210 uranium mines in France.
5
You're missing the point. A vast area drains into the Colorado River, which flows through the park. This watershed flows directly into the park.
The story of the park is about selfish interests trying to exploit the Grand Canyon - the battle between private interests which tried to own the Canyon and operate it is a private concession until is was made a national park, the ongoing battle between tourism property owners who want to despoil the park with development for their profit, the epic battle to dam the river to generate electric power that was the Sierra Club's first great victory. Uranium mining is just one more selfish interest, albeit an extraordinarily dangerous one, as we learned this year in southwest Colorado. Some things should be above crass profiteering. The Grand Canyon is one of them.
The story of the park is about selfish interests trying to exploit the Grand Canyon - the battle between private interests which tried to own the Canyon and operate it is a private concession until is was made a national park, the ongoing battle between tourism property owners who want to despoil the park with development for their profit, the epic battle to dam the river to generate electric power that was the Sierra Club's first great victory. Uranium mining is just one more selfish interest, albeit an extraordinarily dangerous one, as we learned this year in southwest Colorado. Some things should be above crass profiteering. The Grand Canyon is one of them.
7
When the Feds wanted to put dams in the Grand Canyon in the '60s, one of their arguments was that turning it into a lake would allow more people to see it by floating around in boats. The Sierra Club, in response, ran an ad asking whether people thought flooding the Sistine Chapel would be a good idea, so people in boats could get a better look at Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling. As a result, it lost its tax-exempt status.
There are two books which I consider must reading for understanding the fundamental issues: "The Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey (previously sold in but now banned by Park Service bookstores) and "Everett Ruess: A Vagabond For Beauty", edited by William Rusho. Though approaching the true value of the Southwest -- especially the Colorado Plateau -- from opposite directions, both are brilliant and enjoyable explications of what it's all about.
Take your pick and follow the lead of George P. Hayduke or Everett Ruess, but do follow one. The loss of the Grand Canyon and much of the rest of the Plateau can only be appreciated when you have mixed your soul with it, when comprehension is visceral.
Udall's comments are right on, but too limited to the rational and politically just.
Long after repeal of Glass-Steagall, Monica Lewinsky, and some more positive aspects of his Presidency are forgotten, Bill Clinton will remain known and eventually appreciated and revered for his creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalnte National Monument.
There are two books which I consider must reading for understanding the fundamental issues: "The Monkey Wrench Gang" by Edward Abbey (previously sold in but now banned by Park Service bookstores) and "Everett Ruess: A Vagabond For Beauty", edited by William Rusho. Though approaching the true value of the Southwest -- especially the Colorado Plateau -- from opposite directions, both are brilliant and enjoyable explications of what it's all about.
Take your pick and follow the lead of George P. Hayduke or Everett Ruess, but do follow one. The loss of the Grand Canyon and much of the rest of the Plateau can only be appreciated when you have mixed your soul with it, when comprehension is visceral.
Udall's comments are right on, but too limited to the rational and politically just.
Long after repeal of Glass-Steagall, Monica Lewinsky, and some more positive aspects of his Presidency are forgotten, Bill Clinton will remain known and eventually appreciated and revered for his creation of the Grand Staircase-Escalnte National Monument.
50
Uranium mines are terribly toxic. A large number of Arizona mines have employed Navajos, whose cancer rates were so high that the tribe eventually banned uranium mining on their reservation. The environmental toll on the Canyon is, quite frankly, imperceptible. I've hiked the Canyon multiple times and it is as awe-inspiring as ever. I have no doubt that the mines have caused subtle harm to the Canyon. But Mr. Udall makes it sound like there is uranium mining everywhere you look. That is absurd. Everywhere you look there is upland desert. My problem with Mr. Udall's argument is that it is a version of "not in my backyard." As long as uranium is in demand it will be mined. And as long as it is mined, it will wreak destruction. An overly aggressive proposal to treat the Canyon as special will result in mines operating near reservations and in other inappropriate locations. A comprehensive plan is what is needed. We have to protect the Canyon. But we also have to protect the sparse population of Northern Arizona, including many Native Americans, who are not visited by busloads of tourists.
9
If you can't see the Grand Canyon as special, if you can't see it as wildly deserving of every protection possible to keep it pristine, then you can not see, do not understand value and preservation or, quite frankly, our place in the universe.
99
Amen to that! I live on the east coast but have been several times to the North and South Rim of the Grand Canyon. I have taken visiting european friends there who have been awestruck by its beauty and enormity and I never tire of admiring its splendor. Why can't the US government protect this crown jewel of ours from greedy, money driven
mining companies who only know how to destroy, poison and ruin our environment. They certainly cause a lot of destruction but fail to clean up the messes they create! Why do we, the government even consider letting them get near any of our greatest natural treasures in the US, why?
mining companies who only know how to destroy, poison and ruin our environment. They certainly cause a lot of destruction but fail to clean up the messes they create! Why do we, the government even consider letting them get near any of our greatest natural treasures in the US, why?
10
Lou
As long as you see Native American lives as subordinate, then you cannot see, do not understand value and preservation or, quite frankly, our place in the universe.
As long as you see Native American lives as subordinate, then you cannot see, do not understand value and preservation or, quite frankly, our place in the universe.
11
Sounds like an opportunity to do the right thing and educate the public about safeguarding national treasures from destructive activity like mining.
Last I checked, the Grand Canyon was pretty popular as an iconic national park. I can't think of a better opportunity to remind especially the younger generation about the need to protect and support national lands.
Last I checked, the Grand Canyon was pretty popular as an iconic national park. I can't think of a better opportunity to remind especially the younger generation about the need to protect and support national lands.
78
The Mining Act is being used to loot and systematically destroy, leaving cleanup to the taxpayers via the EPA, the remaining sacred places of Arizona. Disgracefully, Senators McCain and Flake of Arizona are helping the looters. Someone needs to follow the money here and raise a big enough ruckus that the Mining Act is repealed.