President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that he would designate 1.1 million acres around the Grand Canyon as a national monument, siding with tribal groups and environmentalists who have been advocating areas around the park to be protected from uranium mining, which they argue would threaten aquifers and water supplies.
According to the Energy Information Administration, most of the U.S.’s uranium imports in 2021 came from Kazakhstan, followed by Canada, Australia, and Russia.Energy Fuels, the largest producer of uranium in the U.S., issued a 26-page statement on Sunday deriding the move, arguing that the administration proceeded without their input.
Uranium is primarily used as a fuel for clean nuclear energy, which provides nearly 20% of all electricity in the country in 2022 and more than half of the country’s carbon-free electricity.