Arizona environmentalists are hoping President Joe Biden chose Arizona for more than its exposure to climate change risks when planning a tour of the Southwest starting Monday. They have fingers crossed that he’ll use the state as a backdrop to announce the creation of a new national monument near the Grand Canyon.
Biden will travel to Arizona, New Mexico and Utah Monday through Thursday. The stated purpose of his trip is to discuss climate resiliency measures and investments that the administration and Congress have made to battle climate change and propel clean energy and manufacturing.
Reports out of Washington have suggested that Biden is inclined to designate more than 1 million acres as a Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument, and Arizonans who have backed that proposal for years hope he’ll do it during this visit.
“On the edge of our seats and very, very excited,” said Kelly Burke, executive director at Wild Arizona and Grand Canyon Wildlands Council. “It’s been such a very long time.”
Several of the region’s environmental groups and Native American tribes have pushed for a Grand Canyon-area monument for years, and were disappointed when President Barack Obama did not designate one before leaving office. Obama’s administration in 2012 imposed a 20-year uranium-mining moratorium on more than 1 million acres of federal lands north and south of Grand Canyon National Park, and the proposed monument would permanently protect those lands from new mining claims.
The proposed monument, backed by both of the state’s U.S. senators, could allow other economic activities such as livestock grazing and recreation, and would not apply to any private lands. Energy Fuels, Inc., a uranium mining company, could continue to operate its existing mine on federal lands between Williams and Grand Canyon. But spokesman Curtis Williams said it makes little sense for the administration to cut off further mining opportunities at the same time it is seeking carbon-free energy sources, such as nuclear power.
“At a time when the Biden Administration is working to reduce carbon emissions and punish Russia’s aggression in Ukraine,” company spokesman Curtis Moore said in an email, “permanently locking off America’s best uranium deposits seems like a bad idea that runs contrary to many Administration priorities.”
‘A sacred place’:Advocates for new Grand Canyon protections rally in hopes Biden will act
The White House has not publicly released details about the president’s Arizona appearance or included anything about the monument proposal in notices of the trip. Last week the Washington Post reported that sources familiar with his thinking said he was leaning toward designation, though, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Arizona, told The Republic she hopes for good news as soon as this week.
Brandon Loomis covers environmental and climate issues for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Reach him at [email protected] or follow on Twitter @brandonloomis.
Environmental coverage on azcentral.com and in The Arizona Republic is supported by a grant from the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Follow The Republic’s environmental reporting team at environment.azcentral.com and @azcenvironment on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
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