Sierra Club tries to prevent Uranium Mining at Grand Canyon

[liveonearth]

The latest Sierra Club project to cross my email is a petition to stop anyone from mining the uranium claims that are inside of 5 miles of Grand Canyon. They say it will cause radiation contamination to the river and everyone downstream. They don't mention how polluted the river already is, or the fact that the radioactive materials leak out of the ground with every rainfall. I wonder if there is some new corporate effort to extract the uranium, or if the claims are in private hands. I'm not saying I agree with the Sierra Club--not enough info yet--but here's what they have to say:

Dear Liveonearth,

You would think it’s a no-brainer. Do not expose the Grand Canyon or the Colorado River to radiation contamination.

Yet today, there are more than 1,000 uranium mining claims within five miles of Grand Canyon National Park.

Please sign our petition and help ensure these disastrous plans are never put into action.

Mining for uranium this close to the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon could devastate tourism, which produces over half a billion dollars for the economy and could allow toxins into the most critical source of drinking water in the West, leading to water contamination for nearly 30 million people.

Not to mention the devastating impact this would have on the eco-system of one of our most iconic national parks.

The Sierra Club has joined forces with our coalition partners to fight in our nation’s courts to protect the Grand Canyon. And a bill has been introduced in Congress that will force the Interior Department to withdraw mining leases around the Park - but we need your help to ensure that it passes.

That’s why I am asking you to please, take action today and help us work with Congress to put a stop to these proposals.

You can join the fight to keep the Grand Canyon - and the waters of the Colorado River - safe for future generations. But we have to act quickly. Please sign our petition today.

Sincerely,

Greg Haegele
Director of Conservation

P.S. Help us put the pressure on Congress to protect the Grand Canyon from the dangers of uranium mining - sign our petition today.