The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
July 21, 2009

Salazar Bans New Mining Near Grand Canyon for Two Years
-------------------------------------------------------



Interior Secretary Ken Salazar has called for a two-year timeout on new
mining claims on nearly one million acres of federal lands near the
Grand Canyon in northern Arizona. The move reverses a decision by the
Bush administration to open the land flanking the park to hard-rock
mining, including uranium mining. Mining would still be allowed to
continue in the area on preexisting claims. This weekend the Havasupai
tribe is convening a traditional gathering focused on protecting the
Grand Canyon and traditional Havasupai lands from uranium mining. The
gathering will be held at Red Butte, a sacred site just south of the
Grand Canyon.



.