Gov. Katie Hobbs is asking the U.S. Forest Service to conduct a new environmental study of the Pinion Plain mine near the Grand Canyon, something the Havasupai Tribe has long sought.
“As Governor of Arizona, I take seriously the concerns of members of Native American communities who feel that this mine threatens the safety of their communities and the integrity of their sacred sites,” Hobbs said in a letter to the federal agency.
The Pinion Plain Uranium Mine is located on U.S. Forest Service land in the Kaibab National Forest in northern Arizona. The mine is on ancestral land for numerous tribes, including the Navajo, Hopi and Havasupai.
“The people of these communities continue to endure the severe and devastating effects of uranium mining in recent years,” Hobbs wrote.
The project’s final environmental impact statement was issued in 1986, and a business plan in 1984. No updated impact statement or business plan has been issued since. Hobbs, along with the Havasupai Tribe, is currently calling for both reports to be redone.
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“I am committed to working with tribal nations to ensure their concerns are respected and listened to, and I hope and trust that the U.S. Forest Service shares this same commitment,” the governor wrote.
For decades, the Havasupai Tribe has opposed operations at the Pinyon Plain mine, located about 10 miles south of the Grand Canyon.
The tribe, who live at the bottom of the Grand Canyon, say the mine threatens their drinking water, natural wonders and sacred cultural sites.
The Havasupai tribe and several environmental groups have long tried to block the mine and were involved in a drawn-out legal battle to have it shut down, but ultimately failed.
The tribe also claims the mine could damage Havasupai cultural heritage and pollute the Havasu River, the village’s only water source.
Hobbs said during his visit to the Havasupai tribe, he learned that many Havasupai people have stopped visiting areas around the mine because they fear contamination from mining activities.
“Red Butte Mountain, located just four miles from the mine, is a sacred site to many Native Americans, including the Havasupai Tribe, and is a federally recognized Traditional Cultural Site (TCP) eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP),” the governor said.
In his letter, Hobbs said the agency conducted a review of the mine’s operating plan in 2012 and approved Red Butte’s NRHP designation as a TCP, but failed to adequately study and consider the mine’s impacts on the land.
“Now that the mine is operational, it is appropriate and necessary to study its impacts on the integrity of this site, which has religious and cultural significance to the Havasupai people,” Hobbs said.
The 17-acre mine is owned and operated by Energy Fuels Resources, Inc. (EFRI), one of the nation’s leading uranium producers.
The Pinion Plain mine resumed operations last year after a years-long hiatus, with the first uranium ore being extracted in January.
On July 30, EFRI transported two truckloads of uranium ore from a mine near the Grand Canyon to its White Mesa smelter in Blanding, Utah.
The approved transportation route for moving uranium from the Pinyon Plain mine passes through several tribal communities, including the lands of the Navajo, Hopi, Havasupai and Ute Mountain Ute tribes.
The Havasupai, Navajo, tribal members and environmental groups have condemned the uranium ore shipments, saying EFRI transported the ore across tribal lands without making prior arrangements with the tribes or providing advance notice that they should take safety precautions.
“We remain steadfast in our fight against the Pinion Plain Mine and appreciate the support of Arizona’s top elected officials who have stood by us in calling on the U.S. Forest Service to complete a supplemental environmental impact statement for the Pinion Plain Mine,” Havasupai Tribe Chair Bernadine Jones said in a statement. “It’s time for the U.S. Forest Service to step up and fulfill its environmental duties and responsibilities.”
The Havasupai Tribe said the governor’s letter demonstrates her continued support and commitment to the tribe’s fight against uranium mining at the Pinion Plain Mine.
“The Havasupai Tribe remains committed to protecting our sacred aquifer because we have a right to clean, safe drinking water,” Jones said in a statement. “The Tribe will continue its fight against uranium mining until the Pinion Plain Mine is permanently closed.”
Havasupai Tribal Councilwoman Diana Sue Uquala said that during Hobbs’ visit to the tribe in August, tribal members were able to share their concerns about the continuing dangers the mine poses to the tribe’s water and people.
“The tribes applaud Governor Hobbs’ request to the U.S. Forest Service, and he agrees that relying on outdated science and inaccurate historical reports is unacceptable,” Uquala said in a statement. “We appreciate Governor Hobbs’ leadership and determination to protect the lands and waters that are sacred and precious not only to the Havasupai Tribe, but to Arizonans and visitors to our state.”
Hobbs is one of many state officials who have requested an updated environmental impact statement from the U.S. Forest Service.
In August, Attorney General Chris Mays wrote a letter to the federal agency explaining that the most recent environmental impact study was conducted nearly 40 years ago and relied on outdated data.
“With advances in 21st century science and new insights into aquifer connectivity, it is critical that the U.S. Forest Service conduct supplemental research on the Pinyon Plain mine,” Mays said. “The risks are too great to ignore, and inaction could result in devastating damage to the people, wildlife and cultural heritage of the region.”
