Conservation groups say Arizona uranium mine threatens Grand Canyon, ask Hobbs to intervene

In the garden outside the Arizona Capitol, conservation advocates assembled the morning of June 27, ready to deliver 17,557 letters demanding that Gov. Katie Hobbs intervene in the operation of the Pinyon Plain uranium mine near the Grand Canyon.

They waited to see if she would meet them or at least send someone from her team.

The activists, a diverse coalition of organizations including the Sierra Club, the Center for Biological Diversity, Chispa, Haul No!, the Wilderness Society, Poder Latinx and more, gathered in a circle in the company of Diné and Havasupai tribal members, sharing words of encouragement before entering the government building.

Once inside, the group lined up in front of the cameras to express their concerns.

They talked about the threat of groundwater contamination and the need to protect the Grand Canyon and the people who rely on its waters from potential risks that should not be taken.

Carletta Tilousi, a former council member of the Havasupai Tribe, approached the reception desk along with Sandy Bahr, director of the Sierra Club Grand Canyon chapter. Together, they handed over a black box with the radioactive warning symbol drawn on the lid. The box contained some printed paper documents and thousands of petitions in digital format.

In the letters addressed to Hobbs, the advocates requested that the governor "do everything (she) can to help protect the waters of Grand Canyon, the new national monument, and these waters that are essential to the existence of the Havasupai people. This mine should be closed before it creates irreversible harm."

Bahr said she had previously contacted the Governor's Office requesting an appointment. Yet no official came down to receive the documents.

In January, 80 conservation organizations and scientists sent Hobbs another petition urging the closure of the mine. Although they have not received a response since then, they have not given up either.

A spokesperson for Hobbs confirmed that the letters had been received and said in a written statement that "Governor Hobbs will always put the health and safety of everyday Arizonans first."

The Pinyon Plain Mine is one of the most closely regulated in the country, the spokesperson said, with an "extremely stringent permit" and regular inspections by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.

"The state will also continually evaluate our procedures and safety requirements to ensure the mine is operating in a way that keeps our communities safe now and into the future," the spokesperson said.

Tilousi has represented her tribe for many years in this fight against uranium mining.

"I've been against it for a very long time," she said. "I grew up with my tribe and my family opposing mining."

She was born and raised in Supai Village, a place surrounded by immense mountains and connected by streams and waterfalls that flow into blue-green spring waters near the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River.

They have been taught to be the Guardians of the Grand Canyon. Tilousi said she inherited the fight for clean air and clean water.

That's where the tribe's name comes from. Havasu Baaja, in their original language, means people of the blue-green waters in English. Their identity has always been linked to caring for this sacred element.

So far, so close in a long fight

Opponents of the mine argue that its proximity to Havasupai Tribe lands poses an unnecessary risk to the community's main water source.

The Pinyon Plain Mine, formerly Canyon Mine, belongs to Energy Fuels Resources Corporation, a Colorado-based subsidiary of Energy Fuels Inc. of Toronto, one of the largest uranium mining companies in the U.S.

The company began extracting ore late last year within what was designated Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni—Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument last August.

Energy Fuels contends that uranium mining in that location would not compromise the Grand Canyon watershed. 

"The Supai (village) is 40 miles away," said Curtis Moore, the company's senior vice president of marketing and corporate development.

"People make claims like we're going to pollute the groundwater or pollute Havasu Creek or Havasu Springs, which is so ridiculous," he said. "The chances of anybody's groundwater being polluted or anybody having health or environmental impacts are nil."

Moore said activists spread false information that scares neighboring tribes and communities. "They're pursuing a very political agenda."

The Grand Canyon Trust reviewed mining company reports, and the group's data scientists concluded there was a significant spike last year in the levels of heavy metals like uranium, arsenic and lead.

They compared the levels of those metals from 2016 to the last quarter of 2023 with the EPA's maximum contaminant level for safe drinking water. In the most recent measure, uranium was six times over the safety limit, lead was 243 times over and arsenic was 812 times over.

Moore said that is completely normal and expected since Energy Fuels started the mining operations at the end of last year. He said there's nothing to fear because it's not drinking water and it is in a contained system.

Opponents still fear an accident could allow water containing heavy metals to infiltrate into aquifers that could be connected underground.

"I'm not even sure that groundwater contamination ever traveled 40 miles," said Moore in response.

In the mine's aquifer protection permit, which ADEQ granted, the government office determined that "natural protection exists from thick layers of low-permeability rock."

But a recent study by scientists from the University of New Mexico suggests that the groundwater in the region is too complex, and that this mining operation should be monitored more.

The Governor's Office said ADEQ performs "regular and thorough inspections of the mine, working closely with local and county partners, and stands ready to take appropriate action if violations are found."

But during a panel discussion on uranium mining last week, Tilousi said, "I have quotes from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality saying 'we are not in the business of enforcement. We're in the business of permitting.'"

She said her tribe has not received proper responses from the mining company or from the state, which, according to her, doesn't seem to have any oversight.

Moore said critics are "smearing state and federal regulators that have studied this for decades, and they just need to stop. It's irresponsible."

In the case that the natural protections failed, he said the fix would be easy.

"You just start pumping water and evaporating it," he said. "Worst case scenario, maybe you'd have to pump water for a long, long time, but that is not expected to occur."

The Grand Canyon Trust analysis also found that since 2016, when the miners pierced the aquifer, operations have pumped more than 66 million gallons.

One mine, many concerns

The conservationist groups opposing the mine say they are also concerned about water depletion and pollution on transportation routes through the Navajo Nation.

The groups have been closely monitoring the mine operations for years and cited worries about animals drinking from the contaminated pond inside the mine.

Tilousi said their tribe are hunters and could inadvertently consume animals like rabbits that drink from those waters.

Birds have been observed flying over the fence to drink water from the pond, and animal fur trapped in the fence has been discovered.

Moore said this water is not safe for human consumption, but it's certainly well within standards that are appropriate for livestock and wildlife.

"We give it away to local ranchers because it is a very dry area," he said. "The ranchers are happy to take it. You know, they don't want polluted meat, right?"

Tilousi worries that constant exposure to uranium could harm the animals and their health.

"It's unfortunate that they wanna give it to cows. I think cows also need to be protected," Tilousi said. "Animals need to be protected."

Tilousi worked this year with the U.S. Geological Survey on a conceptual risk model to include the Havasupai Tribe perspective in scientific research.

The document explains how the Havasupai and neighboring tribes hunt animals, harvest plants, and practice other traditions, such as burning incense and using sweat lodges.

"We have more of a risk now to possibly become contaminated by consuming, by smelling, by touching, by gathering and by hunting," she said.

Moore discredits studies conducted by those he considers activists. He said they oppose nuclear energy because they want more wind and solar.

"But the problem is wind and solar will not solve our climate crisis. Not even close," Moore said. "Wind and solar will be a drop in the bucket because energy consumption is going up dramatically, especially with all these data centers, electric vehicles, electrification of our homes, and all this."

Arizona has the highest-grade uranium in the nation. But it also ranks in the top 10 states for wind energy potential and is fifth in solar-powered electricity generation.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2023, Arizona's in-state electricity was primarily generated from six sources: natural gas, 46%, nuclear power, 27%, coal, 10%, solar energy, 10%, hydroelectric power, 5%; and wind, 1%.

The Sierra Club opposes nuclear energy, encouraging renewable energy sources like solar and wind. Bahr said the reason is they are against energy generation that causes any kind of depletion overall of resources.

"They can say all they want that it's modern uranium mining, but the risks are still there, and we still know that once that groundwater is contaminated, there's no good way to clean it up," she said. "It's just not worth that risk."

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Trilce Estrada Olvera writes about environmental issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral. Send comments and story tips to trilce.estradaolvera@arizonarepublic.com.

Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. 

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