Debate over a new Grand Canyon National Monument has erupted between Mojave County leadership and the federal government this year as U.S. officials seek to protect nearly 1.1 million acres of land in northern Arizona from potential future mining operations. causing cracks.
Next week, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management plans to host a public meeting in Flagstaff to discuss the issue, a decision that has angered Mojave County officials.
Native American tribes across the Southwest petitioned earlier this year to create the Baji Nwabjo Ita Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument. The monument will grant permanent federal protection to land west of the Grand Canyon. However, about half of the land embodying the proposed monument is in Mojave County’s First Superintendent District, which is overseen by county superintendent Travis Lingenfelter. And according to Ringenfelter, federal officials may have done little to get Mojave County involved or to seek input on the matter. If the land is designated a national monument, the decision would cost Mojave County and southern Utah a potential $29 billion in economic resources, according to county officials.
“U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland recently met with Coconino County officials about a proposed monument,” Lingenfelter said this week. “We received no notice, no request to participate. is going to be held in Flagstaff.”
Mojave County will now vote next week on whether to approve a letter requesting the BLM to hold a meeting in Kingman to discuss this issue with Mojave County residents and officials. Most of the land that will become the Baji Nwabjo Ita Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument is already under federal surveillance, Lingenfelter said. And if the land is in trust for the people, then Mojave County’s objections should not be ignored.
“The fact that we are being excluded is very disturbing,” said Lingenfelter. “Mojave County has legitimate concerns and we cannot afford to be ignored.”
The proposed national monument is located in an area of Mojave County, home to one-third of the United States’ known uranium deposits. But these deposits have remained untouched since 2012, when President Barack Obama ordered a 20-year moratorium on uranium mining in northern Mojave County.
Six years ago, President Obama rejected a similar proposal to make the area a national monument under the Antiquities Act of 1906. The decision could be made by President Biden later this year.
Mojave County Superintendent Buster Johnson has opposed previous efforts to ban future mining operations on land west of the Grand Canyon. And in a decision that could undermine Mojave County’s future economic prosperity, Johnson appeared this week to be equally frustrated by federal officials’ apparent disregard for the county’s concerns. was.
“This will have a devastating effect on Mojave County,” Johnson said. “This proposal has never been coordinated with Mojave County officials, and the designation permanently changes the area.”
Superintendent Ron Gould, president of the Mojave Valley and northern Lake Havasu, said Native American tribes would only benefit from the mines in northern Mojave County.
“It would be wise for them to partner with us to responsibly mine in this area,” Gould said on Tuesday. “It will benefit their people as well.”
But in Mojave County, west of the Grand Canyon, uranium could be mined. Mojave County Economic Development Director Tami Sarsenbach said in a statement earlier this year that since last year, the county has received multiple inquiries from non-uranium mining companies interested in the area, including at least It also includes one lithium mining company.
As of this week, Gould had yet to decide whether to attend Tuesday’s public forum on the issue. But the prospect of establishing a national monument in the area in the first place could be an example of government overreach, according to Gould.
“Congress needs to strip the president of his power to do this with one stroke,” Gould said. “If the people want a national monument, it should pass Congress.”
Next week’s public forum will be held at 1175 West Route 66 in Flagstaff. The meeting will be held from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and the public will be given an opportunity to comment on the proposed Baji Nwabjo Ita Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument.
Members of the public attending the conference can register to speak for up to two minutes, BLM officials said. Public comment on the issue will begin shortly after the 1:00 p.m. meeting starts.
Those unable to attend the meeting can email comments on the proposed national monument to rhawes@blm.com until July 18th.
