The decision also follows Energy Fuels agreement signed with the Havasupai Tribe and conservation groups to place the mine in non-operational, and will in standby status until a pending US District Court for Arizona ruling or through December 2014.
Grand Canyon Trust source Roger Clark said the closure is very good news because the Canyon Mine threatens irreversible damage to the Havasupai people and Grand Canyon’s water, wildlife, and tourism economy.
"Under current policy, federal agencies will permit this mine — like other "zombie mines" across the region — to reopen next year, or 10 or 20 years from now without any new environmental analysis or reclamation," Clark added.
The Center for Biological Diversity Robin Silver said, "Now that this mine has been put on hold, the Forest Service has yet another opportunity to do the right thing: protect people, wildlife and this incredible landscape from industrial-scale mining and all the pollution and destruction that come with it."
