"Miners Ask Court To Lift Ban on Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon"

"The American mining industry is asking a federal appeals court to overturn a ban on new uranium mining claims near the Grand Canyon in a legal battle with environmentalists over impacts on the premier U.S. park.

In 2012, the Obama administration set aside for 20 years new mining claims and limited development on existing claims on roughly 1 million acres (404,686 hectares) of public lands in northern Arizona adjacent to the Grand Canyon.

Then-U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar imposed the ban over concerns that large-scale development of uranium mines could threaten groundwater supplies, Native American cultural resources and scenic vistas in and around a park that draws millions of visitors."

Laura Zuckerman reports for Reuters November 14, 2014.