Outrage Over Grand Canyon Mining Decision

US senators, congressmen, mining companies and nuclear industry representatives have criticised a final decision to ban new uranium mining on land near the Grand Canyon for the next 20 years. Others were not so convinced of the righteousness of Salazar’s chosen path. A group of eight US senators and congressmen led by Arizona senator John McCain issued a statement denouncing the decision. The group asserts that the decision disregards the 1984 Arizona Wilderness Act, agreed through negotiation with environmental groups, which permanently locked away from mining over 650,000 acres outside the Grand Canyon designated as wilderness while affirming the compatibility of mining with conservation interests in other areas. They also noted that the Interior Department’s own studies had found “no conclusive evidence” that mining operations in the area were harmful to the Grand Canyon watershed. McCain described the ban on uranium mining as a devastating blow to job creation in the region. “This decision is fueled by an emotional public relations campaign pitting the public’s love for the Grand Canyon against a modern form of low-impact mining that occurs many miles from the Canyon walls and in no way impacts the quality of drinking water from the Colorado River,” he said. Wyoming senator John Barrasso described Salazar’s decision as “irresponsible”. Utah senator Mike Lee accused Salazar, and the administration of President Barack Obama, of making the decision to appease environmentalists during an election year. Lee described the announcement as “a needless overreaction to a fictitious problem.”...more

Just as Salazar's decision is political, so probably is McCain's reaction.  Let's see if he actually does something about it.