The US currently imports virtually all of its uranium, including from Russia, despite the sanctions imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Pinyon Plain mine, now operational, is located about five miles south of the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, and the opening is part of the US strategy to increase domestic production of the mineral needed for nuclear power.
But the opening has met with strong opposition from, among others, the Havasupai tribe, which today has approximately 700 members.
“Very sad situation”
They fear that mining operations will contaminate their only source of drinking water and damage important cultural sites.
– It is a very, very sad situation that upsets many tribes in this region. But I think we all knew this was going to happen eventually,” Carletta Tilousi, of the Havasupai tribe, told The Guardian.
The Canadian company, Energy Fuels Inc, which operates the mine, which is expected to be open for 28 months, points out in turn that government regulators have determined that the mine will not affect the local water supply.
Additionally, in 2022, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality issued an Aquifer Protection Plan Permit.
– There is no science to support the claim that groundwater is in danger, says Curtis Moore, spokesperson for Energy Fuel.
“Unwilling to risk”
They are also said to have carried out studies and extensive reviews which determined that negative effects on the groundwater are “extremely unlikely”.
For the Havasupai tribe, however, that is not enough as the mine also has a history of flooding such as a 2016 drilling that caused a surge of contaminated water and the following year miners sprayed contaminated water into the nearby Kaibab Forest.
– We are not willing to risk the livelihood of my community for the sake of a mining company. A mishap or misjudgment could risk permanently contaminating the tribe’s only source of water, says Carletta Tilousi.