"Democratic lawmakers are challenging a new Trump administration report they say is – along with other White House moves – a precursor to opening the Grand Canyon to uranium mining.

Speaking at a House natural resources hearing Wednesday, various lawmakers challenged the plan, arguing the U.S. did not need to mine for its own uranium – and definitely didn't need to mine the Grand Canyon.

The Commerce Department report, titled "Federal Strategy to Ensure Secure and Reliable Supplies of Critical Minerals," released Tuesday night, lays out methods to ensure the federal government is mining what it considers “critical minerals” for national security purposes. In May the Interior Department added uranium to that list, an action that put many environmentalist and land conservations on edge.

“Even if we agreed with this premise that uranium mining was a national security issue – and I do not agree with that premise – it is important to note that the Grand Canyon region only holds .29 percent of known U.S uranium reserves. That’s less than three tenths of one percent of known U.S. uranium reserves,” said Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-Calif.) at the legislative hearing."

Miranda Green reports for The Hill June 5, 2019. [2]