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Why the new Grand Canyon monument won't really impact Arizona's uranium industry

Coverage of tribal natural resources is supported in part by Catena Foundation

President Joe Biden last week established a new national monumenton nearly 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon. By creating Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument in Arizona, it means that land will now be off-limits to new uranium mining.

That’s been a controversial topic of discussion in the area over the past several years. Many environmentalists and tribal communities worry about the impacts on water supplies, as well as mining on land considered sacred, while some GOP state lawmakers called Biden's move a "land grab."

To get a sense of what this action means, The Show talked to Tom Zoellner. He’s the author of several books, including 2009’s "Uranium: War, Energy and the Rock that Shaped the World." 

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Mark Brodie is a co-host of The Show, KJZZ’s locally produced news magazine. Since starting at KJZZ in 2002, Brodie has been a host, reporter and producer, including several years covering the Arizona Legislature, based at the Capitol.