Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet
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The Greater Grand Canyon Ecoregion is a wild and remote landscape that includes two Bureau of Land Management national monuments (Vermilion Cliffs and Grand Canyon-Parashant), two national forests (Coconino and Kaibab), numerous wilderness areas, and the crown jewel of our national park system: Grand Canyon National Park. |
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The Havasupai Tribe and conservation groups are praising Judge David Campbell’s decision to uphold the U.S. Department of the Interior’s 20-year ban on new uranium mining claims across one million acres of public lands adjacent to Grand Canyon. The court ruled that the decision complied with federal environmental laws and that the protected area was not too large, as plaintiffs had argued. At stake is protecting the aquifers and streams that feed the Colorado River and Grand Canyon from toxic uranium mining waste and depletion. The Havasupai Tribe, Grand Canyon Trust, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity, and National Parks Conservation Association had intervened in the lawsuit filed by mining and uranium-industry trade associations and uranium prospector Gregory Yount. The tribe and groups helped to defend Interior’s decision to protect Grand Canyon’s springs and creeks, wildlife, and vistas from new toxic uranium-mining pollution. The groups and tribe were represented by public-interest law firms Earthjustice and Western Mining Action Project. Judge Campbell wrote in his decision: “Ultimately, the question in this case is whether DOI, when faced with uncertainty due to a lack of definitive information, and a low risk of significant environmental harm, can proceed cautiously.... The Court can find no legal principle that prevents DOI from acting in the face of uncertainty. Nor can the Court conclude that the Secretary abused his discretion or acted arbitrarily, capriciously, or in violation of law when he chose to err on the side of caution in protecting a national treasure – Grand Canyon National Park.” You can read more online. |
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Two proposed developments near Grand Canyon have been getting national and international attention in the press. The Tusayan and Grand Canyon Escalade proposals threaten the water, wilderness character, and cultural values of Grand Canyon and its surrounding landscapes. Grand Canyon Protection Campaign Coordinator Alicyn Gitlin spoke to Al Jazeera America and National Geographic about the threats these massive projects pose to Grand Canyon National Park. Learn more: |
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Flagstaff City Council Questions State Investment in Grand Canyon Airport
The Flagstaff City Council requested a report from ADOT, explaining how state investment in the airport would affect northern Arizona’s communities. The meeting was well attended by business interests who fear that airport upgrades next to Grand Canyon will harm their revenues by favoring tourists flying directly from Las Vegas for half-day tours. Watch ADOT’s presentation and the City Council discussion here – click on item 6. See Sierra Club’s testimony by clicking on Item 6, Part 2 of 2, at time 23:50. Contact Alicyn Gitlin at (928) 774-6514 or alicyn.gitlin@sierraclub.org to find out how you can help in the fight against the Grand Canyon Airport Expansion. |
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EPA Challenged for Failure to Protect Grand Canyon
For nearly 40 years, NGS has significantly damaged the air quality of local communities, as well as Grand Canyon and 10 other national parks and wilderness areas across the Southwest. Yet, earlier this year, EPA rejected the legal requirement to make the coal-fired power plant cut smog-forming nitrogen oxide by 85 percent over the next five years. Instead, it has approved a plan that only promises some level of cleanup sometime in the future – a plan that could let the coal plant pollute for at least another three decades. EPA contends it can water down the Clean Air Act requirements because coal plant is located on Navajo Nation lands. We disagree. You can learn more online. |
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Support Our Work! The Grand Canyon Chapter's Campaign to Restore and Protect the Greater Grand Canyon Ecoregion works for healthier public lands in this special region to ensure a resilient habitat for the diverse species that inhabit these lands, world-class recreational opportunities for visitors, and adequate resources for surrounding communities. Every dollar of your tax-deductible donation will be used to help our efforts to restore and protect the greater Grand Canyon region. Please make your donation today! |
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