For More Information Contact: Christy
Goldfuss 202-683-1250
“In a vote of
20-2, with Republicans walking out on the vote, an American treasure received
emergency help today from the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on
Natural Resources. Recognizing that
extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures, Sub-committee Chairman Raul
Grijalva (D-AZ) showed his courageous leadership by calling for a pause on a
mining boom in the area of one of our most valued national treasures.
Today, the Committee
put the Bush administration in a timeout for rubber stamping an assault on the Grand Canyon. Now,
American tourists won’t be forced to sit behind mining trucks as they go to
visit one of our greatest American treasures.
Due to a little known provision in the Federal Land Policy
and Management Act, in an emergency situation, the act of the Committee alone
can compel the Secretary of the Interior to remove lands from mineral
leasing. This temporary withdrawal
permits the Committee to slow a snowballing corporate land grab that could
permanently damage a treasure that belongs to all Americans.
Although this resolution provides a necessary temporary fix,
ultimately the Grand Canyon and all national
parks across the country need comprehensive mining reform of the 1872 Mining
Law to protect these national treasures permanently.”
Environment America is a
federation of state environment groups www.environmentamerica.org
