"GRAND CANYON VILLAGE, Arizona - U.S. President Joe Biden will curb land development on a stretch of nearly 1 million acres (405,000 hectares) near Arizona's iconic Grand Canyon, a move intended to cement his environmental credentials in the electoral battleground state.
Biden, who arrived in Arizona aboard Air Force One on Monday evening, will create the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukveni - Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, a designation disparaged by some officials and mining interests but long sought by tribes that trace their origin to the lands.
The new area, whose name is drawn from the languages of the nearby Havasupai and Hopi tribes, straddles the existing Grand Canyon National Park, where the U.S. government forcibly removed Native Americans a century ago. It boasts bison, bald eagles and sites held as sacred by several tribes.
It is also home to about 1% of the country's known uranium reserves, according to a Biden administration official, who said existing rights to mine, hunt, fish and graze will be respected. The land is currently covered by a two-decade mining moratorium."
Nandita Bose and Trevor Hunnicutt report for Reuters August 8, 2023.
SEE ALSO:
"Grand Canyon Monument Won’t End Fight Over Uranium Mining" (E&E News)
"Biden To Create Monument Around The Grand Canyon" (E&E News)
"State Republicans Formally Oppose New National Monument Near Grand Canyon" (Arizona Republic)
"Biden To Designate A New National Monument Surrounding The Grand Canyon, Blocking Mining" (CNN)
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