New National Monument Near Grand Canyon To Be Announced

What's the story?

• President Joe Biden is expected to announce a new national monument near the Grand Canyon today — a move that will protect land sacred to indigenous peoples and ban new uranium mining claims in the region. 
• The designation comes after years of lobbying by tribal leaders and local activists to block mining projects that would damage the Colorado River watershed and significant lands. 
• The Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument will cover around 1 million acres, encompassing the river's headwaters, the homeland of several tribes, and the habitat of the endangered California condor. 

The years-long fight

• Indigenous groups have been calling upon leaders to protect the area for decades. The activists have met opposition from Republican lawmakers and the mining industry, which claims the ban would significantly impact the U.S. economy. According to federal officials, the region has about 1.3% of the nation's uranium reserves. 
• An effort to declare the area a national monument gained momentum under former President Obama but failed after opposition from Arizona leaders. While he successfully blocked mining on federal land in the area, the protections expire this year. 
• The current governor of Arizona, Gov. Katie Hobbs, is among those urging Biden to declare the area a national monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906. 

What they're saying

• Interior Secretary Deb Haaland called Biden's efforts "historic." She said:

"It will help protect lands that many tribes referred to as their eternal home…It will help ensure that indigenous peoples can continue to use these areas for religious ceremonies…It will protect objects of historic and scientific importance for the benefit of tribes, the public and for future generations."

• Mining industry officials said they would attempt to challenge Biden's decision. Similarly, Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) said:

"The move represents the Biden administration's latest massive land grab and would be devastating to Mohave County."

• Havasupai Tribal Councilwoman Dianna Sue White Dove Uqualla, who was invited to attend Biden's remarks in Arizona today, said:

"It's really the uranium we don't want coming out of the ground because it's going to affect everything around us — the trees, the land, the animals, the people. It's not going to stop."

Watch the announcement live

Do you support the national monument designation? 

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: iStock/jose1983)