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Mining Lawsuit
Laurel Morales
In 2012 the Obama Administration banned all new mining claims on 1 million acres of land surrounding Grand Canyon National Park.
A uranium mining company has filed a lawsuit against the federal government over its ban of any new mining claims on land surrounding the Grand Canyon National Park.
The British company VANE Minerals says uranium mining “would have no adverse impacts. The company is asking for $132 million in monetary damages for profits lost on claims it has staked within the ban area.
Environmentalists and tribes near the park are concerned about uranium leaching into the Grand Canyon’s watershed. Scientists have found high levels of uranium in wells and springs near the mines.
Mining companies argue uranium naturally occurs in the environment and today’s mining technology is precise.
This is VANE’s second lawsuit against the Interior Department over the mining ban.
