The U.S. has become increasingly reliant on a number of critical minerals and metals, with the Biden administration generally moving to boost domestic production and speed the pace of permitting while trying to balance environmental and political concerns, issues we covered in our recent Drill Down Report on the topic, Easier Said Than Done.
The latest development came last week, when President Biden signed an order declaring nearly 1 million acres around the Grand Canyon a national monument (orange-shaded areas in map below), making them permanently off-limits to uranium mining and other development. The new designation does not affect existing mining claims or the two active mining operations within the boundary of the protected area. An order protecting the area from new uranium mining for 20 years was issued by the Obama administration in 2012. The newly protected lands, which are close to several tribal areas (pink-shaded areas), are estimated to hold about 1.3% of the nation’s uranium reserves.
