Thoughts and Facts on Uranium Mining in Northern Arizona

When most people hear the words 'nuclear energy', they usually think of nuclear weapons and nuclear power stations.  These are in fact what most uranium is used for, in about equal amounts. Uranium has other uses, which however require only a tiny amount of the world's uranium. Some of these uses can be substituted for by less harmful products.

So the real question about uranium mining is whether we need more atomic bombs or nuclear energy plants. Of course the answer is two-fold.

1. We certainly don't need any more nuclear weapons anywhere in this world -- including, and especially, those nations who do not yet have "the bomb". (I remember very clearly as a parent in the bomb-shelter era of the cold war)

2. The second answer is less clear. Nuclear power plants which are spread out over the world do a marvelous job of providing energy but it seems the problems in Japan certainly show how vulnerable a community can be when something which "has never happened before", actually happens. Many communities are having second thoughts about nuclear power. Most certainly, more extensive safeguards are required.


Colorado is considered to have the third largest uranium reserves of any US state, behind Wyoming and New Mexico. Obviously, Arizona is not a leading source of Uranium in the United States... and indeed, the price has fluctuated over the years when discoveries are found in other parts of the world and mines are closed and reopened depending on market prices.

The primary problem with uranium mining is the contamination of water sources, rivers, streams, lakes, and underground aquifers.  In 2005 the Navajo Nation declared a moratorium on uranium mining on the reservation, for environmental and health reasons.

"Uranium mining caused many Native Americans and animals to become sick. Some problems were that there were a limited amount of water located on the reservation, so locals would have to travel long distances for water. The Mines would leave contaminated waters unattended and would not even put up fences to prevent anyone from passing through. So the native(s) would bring their livestock and gather water at the contaminated area. This caused mutations between the animals and the Native People.[Note: this last statement has not been verified - it is hearsay - but most certainly probable.]

Three former uranium mill sites in Colorado are currently United States Environmental Protection Agency‎ National Priorities List [Superfund] sites: ...and let us not forget that the taxpayers pay for Superfund projects!


1. Denver Radium Site, Denver
Lincoln Park, adjacent to the Cotter Corporation uranium mill at Canon City in Fremont County. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎ is supervising cleanup of waste from previous operations. The mill still has a license to process uranium ore.

2.Uravan Uranium Project, at the now-abandoned town of Uravan, in Montrose County.

3. In addition, there are 15 Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action (UMTRA) sites in the state, under the purview of the United States Department of Energy. Eight of the sites are former uranium ore mills, and seven are engineered permanent disposal sites for the mill tailings.

Uranium was discovered in the Orphan copper mine near the south rim of the Grand Canyon in 1950. The mine has been private property since 1906, and is today completely surrounded by Grand Canyon National Park. The discovery led to the finding of uranium in other collapse breccia pipes in northern Arizona. The breccia pipes were formed when overlying rocks collapsed into caverns formed in the Mississippian Redwall Limestone. The pipes are typically 300 feet (91 m) in diameter, and may extend up to 3,000 feet (910 m) vertically.

There are currently no producing uranium mines in Arizona. Denison Mines plans to begin mining its Arizona One mine in 2007. The deposit is in a breccia pipe on the Colorado Plateau of northern Arizona. In March of 2011, the State of Arizona issued air and water permits to Denison which would allow uranium mining to resume at three locations north of the Grand Canyon, subject to federal approval.

On May 3, 2010, the  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) notified Denison Mines Corp. that its Arizona 1 mine, located 35 miles from Fredonia (north rim of the Grand Canyon), Arizona, has been issued a Finding of Violation (FOV) for emissions that violate the Clean Air Act.


In July 2009 Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced a two-year ban on new mining on federal land in an area of approximately 1 million acres (4,000 km2) surrounding Grand Canyon National Park. Although the ban is on all mining, the main effect is on exploration and development of breccia-pipe uranium deposits. Those claims on which commercial mineral deposits have already been discovered are exempt from the ban. During the two-year ban the Department of the Interior will study a proposed 20-year ban on new mining in the area.

Since the resurgence of uranium mining in the area, mining company officials have continuously assured the public that mistakes made in the past would not be repeated. This notice of violation from the EPA signals that uranium executives may talk a good game about changes in the industry’s approach to mining but, in fact, it’s business as usual.