Coconino Board of Supervisors reasserts opposition to Pinyon Plain Mine

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — The Coconino County Board of Supervisors reaffirmed its opposition against the Pinyon Plain uranium mine at their regular meeting Feb. 20.

The supervisors unanimously approved a resolution requesting closure of the mine and several environmental protection requirements.

The Grand Canyon, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, home to the Havasupai people, and jewel of Coconino County is at risk of contamination from the Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine which sits just outside the southern entrance to the park where 4.5 million people visit each year, the resolution said.

The mine is above the Redwall-Muav aquifer which feeds streams and springs throughout the Grand Canyon and is the sole source of agricultural and drinking water for the Havasupai Tribe who live in Supai Village at the base of the Grand Canyon.

The Pinyon Plain Uranium Mine has already extracted ore and is determining a travel route through Coconino County and tribal lands to a mill in southern Utah. The ore will be transported by truck through rural communities where an accident could cause irreparable damage to the watershed and impact air quality for our residents.

“The creation of the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni — Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument forever protects almost a million acres of land around Grand Canyon from future uranium mining. However, existing mining permits remain in effect,” said District 1 Supervisor Patrice Horstman. “The Pinyon Plain mine is extracting ore and threatens the very existence of the Havasupai people and their homeland.”

It is estimated that 1.3% of the United States’ uranium deposits are in the Grand Canyon region. Stopping all uranium mining will have no meaningful effect on the America’s energy independence or on its nuclear energy portfolio, the supervisors said.

“We cannot risk the Grand Canyon for various reasons. First and foremost is the homeland of the Havasupai, second, are the other indigenous groups that consider it sacred land, and third, the rest of us who think the Grand Canyon is a special place,” said District 2 Supervisor and Board Chair Jeronimo Vasquez. The Coconino Couty Board of Supervisors has long opposed uranium development in the vicinity of the Grand Canyon and its watersheds and has adopted various resolutions through the years.

To see the full content of the resolution visit https://coconino.az.gov/DocumentCenter/View/61935/Resolution-2024-09.