Department of the Interior has imposed a 20-year ban on new mining claims and mine development on existing claims to protect water flow and eliminate potential contamination in the region.
The court ruled that the decision to ban mining was not too large as it would threaten the aquifers and streams by releasing toxic waste into the Colorado river and Grand Canyon.
Mining and uranium-industry trade associations and uranium prospector Gregory Yount filed the lawsuit in which the Arizona’s Havasupai Tribe, Grand Canyon Trust, Sierra Club, Center for Biological Diversity and National Parks Conservation Association had intervened.
Havasupai chairman Rex Tilousi said: "The Havasupai support the withdrawal of the lands from mining for the protection of our homes and our water.
"The ruling today by Judge Campbell recognizes the unique and important resources on the lands south of Grand Canyon that are our aboriginal homelands and within the watershed that feeds our springs and flows into our canyon home."
A study by Interior showed that lifting the ban could have paved way for 26 new uranium mines and 700 uranium exploration projects.
Image: Uranium mining was banned near Grand Canyon to protect water resources from potential contamination. Photo: courtesy of Chensiyuan.
