WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Mining Association (NMA) today issued the following statement opposing legislation introduced by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), the “Grand Canyon Protection Act” H.R. 1052, which will be brought to the floor this week as part of the public lands package. The bill would unnecessarily ban mining on more than a million acres of mineral rich land and deepen our import reliance for minerals we can and should be mining here at home.
“Representative Grijalva’s Grand Canyon bill falsely suggests that there is a threat of mining in one of our nation’s most beautiful national parks. Let’s be clear: there is no such threat,” said Katie Sweeney, Executive Vice President and General Counsel. “The Grand Canyon already includes a buffer zone outside of its boundaries to properly protect the park; more land withdrawals are not needed. The real threat that does exist, however, is the threat to our nation’s supply chains, which are heavily dependent on foreign sources for the minerals required for our manufacturing, energy, defense and technology supply chains. Our import dependence continues to grow because of unwise and unnecessary legislation such as this. We should be doing more to support mining in the U.S., where it is done according to the strictest environmental standards and creates stable, high-paying jobs at a time when our economy desperately needs them.”
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