The Mojave County Board of Supervisors has formally protested the establishment of a national monument west of the Grand Canyon. This bans him from developing or mining more than 1 million acres in northern Mojave County.
Several Southwestern Native American tribes petitioned to create the Baj Nwabjoitha Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument earlier this year. The request is just the latest challenge for Mojave County officials in more than a decade of debate.
The Biden administration now decides whether to use powers under the Antiquities Act of 1906 to apply federal protection to 1.1 million acres west of the Grand Canyon at the request of the tribes It’s a schedule. The demand was supported by Sen. Kirsten Cinema and led by years of continued efforts by Rep. Raul Grijalba (D-Tucson).
For the confederacy of nearly a dozen Native American tribes of the Southwest, the land represents an area of natural beauty and valuable cultural significance. But the land is also home to some of the finest uranium deposits in the United States, accounting for his third of all known uranium deposits in the country.
According to Mojave County officials, the uranium could add $29 million to the economies of northern Arizona and Utah, benefiting county residents who continue to struggle in poverty.
Monument Efforts Raise Federal Expansion Concerns
In 2012, former President Barack Obama announced a 20-year moratorium on uranium mining in northern Mojave County. Over the past decade, Mr. Grijalva has spearheaded multiple attempts to make permanent mining restrictions on the western side of the Grand He Canyon.
These efforts included a 2017 proposal by Grijalva and a local Native American tribe to establish the area as a national monument under the Antiquities Act. Obama turned down the offer in his January of that year. Now Biden faces the same decision.
“It’s going to be an ongoing issue,” Mojave County Superintendent Ron Gould said this week. I think it gives you far more power than it should.”
According to Gould, uranium mining in this area can only be done responsibly and strengthen the interests of the United States, not just Mojave County.
“There are strong metals that can be mined in this area,” Gould said. “They can help confront the Chinese who are currently trapping most of the world’s minerals.”
As of this year, nearly 67% of all land in Mojave County was under federal control. On Tuesday, supervisor Gene Bishop shared Gould’s concerns about additional federal controls in Mojave County.
“I think the federal government already has too much presence in Mojave County,” said Bishop. “We want to reduce federal control over our land. Mojave County does not have a high percentage of private land. prize.”
Uranium mining may also be a national security issue, according to Bishop. As of this year, the US nuclear power company imports nearly 60% of its uranium from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China. Bishop says the United States will benefit from maintaining domestic supplies of uranium in Mojave County, as political tensions with the Russian Republic falter as a result of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.
According to supervisor Hildy Angius, the proposed national monument is bound to be opposed in Mojave County.
“It can’t be,” said Angius. “Every time there is a Democratic president, something like this is proposed. A piece of this county is being taken from us.”
The Mojave County Board of Supervisors issued a letter Monday opposing the Baj Nwabjo Itaa Kukuveni Grand Canyon National Monument proposal. Copies of that letter were addressed to the White House and to members of Congress in Arizona.
How to Fight Poverty in Mojave County
As Mojave County’s population continues to grow, local government agencies and nonprofits have witnessed an increase in poverty over the past few years.
As of last year, approximately 15.3% of Mojave County residents lived below the poverty line, and less than half of the county’s population was actively involved in the county’s workforce, according to the U.S. Census.
Last year, about 33,582 people in Mojave County — about one in six residents in the county — benefited from government nutrition assistance, according to state records. As of last year, approximately 552 County residents received housing assistance from the County through state and federally funded voucher programs, of which 361 residents received a utility credit or subsidy.
According to Tami Asenbach, Mojave County Director of Economic Development, businesses that can bring jobs at affordable wages will have a positive impact on Mojave County residents.
“We will never mine in the Grand Canyon,” Ursenbach said Tuesday. “There are so many other places we can mine, and jobs that pay a living wage are important to our county.”
As of this month, Ursenbach said the poverty rate in Mojave County was about 18%, compared to a national poverty rate of 11.6%. Mojave County’s child poverty rate stands at about 30.45% as of this week, compared to her 15.3% nationally.
Ursenbach said no uranium mining companies have shown interest in northern Mojave County yet.
Future uranium mining opportunities remain uncertain, so Obama’s moratorium on such operations does not expire until 2032. According to Ursenbach, the county has a number of 100,000,000 units in the region, including one lithium mining company. We have received multiple inquiries from mining companies that have expressed interest.
