Event Recap: May 27, 2020 Digital Briefing and Advocacy Training to Protect the Grand Canyon
Advocates for the Grand Canyon came together on Wednesday for a digital briefing and advocacy training about the threat of uranium mining at the Grand Canyon. Community members joined the call from across the nation, sharing why protecting the national park is important to them.
HECHO presenters Camilla Simon and Elizabeth Archuleta discussed recent recommendations released by the Nuclear Fuels Working Group supporting opening up public lands near the Grand Canyon for uranium mining. They also informed advocates about a proposal to permanently protect the public lands around the Grand Canyon, introduced by Rep. Raul Grijalva and passed by the House in March 2020 called the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act.
“Our hope is that people become aware of two distinct paths for the Grand Canyon. One that the Trump Administration proposes that involves creating a contrived demand for uranium, and opening up public lands, like those around the Grand Canyon, specifically for uranium mining while sticking taxpayers on the hook for $1.5 billion over ten years to buy up that uranium. The other path permanently protects the public lands around the Grand Canyon by law, and would protect the $947 million a year economy that supports 12,558 local jobs and has a overall benefit of $1.2 billion to the local economy. We need to speak up to protect this area, especially now as these moves are being made to allow uranium mining there.”
The event encouraged community members to stay active in the fight to protect the Grand Canyon by sharing personal narratives connecting to the Grand Canyon, using social media as an advocacy tool (#MyGrandCanyonStory), and joining HECHO’s Digital Advocacy Network to receive action alerts, and the latest information on the issue.
The event is the first in a series of advocacy trainings to protect the Grand Canyon, with a second advocacy training taking place on Wednesday, June 24 to continue the conversation with community advocates.
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To catch a recap of the event, view the video below:
