Posted by
InchDeep on Monday, May 05, 2008 4:52:08 PM
The Australian is a gold mine today. Oh, and I would drill in Stonehenge if there was something worth drilling for.
Outrage at Grand Canyon uranium plans
A LONDON mining company has caused uproar with plans to extract uranium from the Grand Canyon - prompting one official to ask how Britons would react "if an American company went to drill at Stonehenge".
The Grand Canyon is not only one of the world's most famous natural landmarks, attracting five million visitors a year and offering a home to bald eagles, condors, bighorn sheep and exotic fish; it also happens to contain vast reserves of uranium ore - suddenly in huge demand, thanks to renewed interest in nuclear power as part of the search for "green" fuel.
But while demand for uranium has risen, supply has fallen as mines have closed in Canada and West Africa. As a result, the price of uranium has soared - and that has sparked a rush to find new deposits.
The Mayfair company VANE Minerals is at the forefront of this scramble and is planning to drill at up to 39 spots on seven sites within the Kaibab National Forest, which borders both the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon, in north-central Arizona.
A further thousand claims are thought to be pending from other companies, up from 10 in 2003.
National Park officials, Indian tribal leaders and even scientists are doing all they can to stop the exploration, going so far as to call a congressional "field hearing" in Flagstaff, Arizona. Raul Grijalva, an Arizona congressman, said: "The Grand Canyon is something we depend on ... for tourism - it's one of the wonders of the world - and here we are, as the federal Government, allowing the distinct possibility of uranium mining."
Environmentalists point out that uranium is both a toxic heavy metal and a source of radiation. As a result, it could kill local wildlife and poison the water in the Colorado River Aqueduct, which provides drinking water to Los Angeles and much of southern California.
Tribal leaders also complain that they have previously been forced to clean up after bankrupt mining concerns, while radiological assessments at one past exploration site - the Orphan Mine - have shown gamma radiation at more than 450 times the background level after uranium was brought closer to the surface.
Yet with fears rising over global warming, many argue the dangers of burning coal for electricity far outweigh the potential dangers of uranium mining. And while solar, tidal, and wind technologies show promise, they are nowhere near as reliable.
VANE Minerals chief operating officer Kris Hefton has tried to reassure environmentalists by arguing that his industry is far more safety-conscious than it used to be.
"I'm not talking about the industry of 50 years ago that impacted the Navajo Nation," he told the congressional hearing.
"We ask you to judge our industry on its current per-formance rather than on past, unrelated events."
The company reportedly believes the Grand Canyon deposits are of higher grade than elsewhere in the US, because they are in geological formations known as "breccia pipes". This means the mine could be profitable even if the uranium price falls.
VANE Minerals' exploration permits were initially approved by the Forest Service, which cited laws created during the Wild West era to allow mining on public land.
The permits, granted with minimal conditions, were immediately challenged by environmentalists in the US District Court, where a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order.