A federal judge has blocked a mining company from exploring for any further uranium near the grand Canyon. Several groups had sued the U.S. Forest Service for backing the plan without full environmental reviews. U.S. District Court Judge Mary Murguia of the U.S. [social_buttons]District Court in Arizona issued a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction stopping the drilling late last week.

“The Grand Canyon is too important for the Forest Service to give short shrift to the possible and significant negative impacts of uranium mining exploration,” said Sandy Bahr, conservation outreach director for the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Chapter. “The Forest Service should take a hard look at the impacts and the public should have an opportunity to review and comment on this mining exploration,” added Bahr.

The Forest Service approved the drilling in December, using a so-called categorical exclusion, a decision which required only minimal environmental review. In issuing the recent injunction, Judge Murguia essentially rejected the use of the categorical exclusion by the Forest Service.

The Sierra Club, along with the Center for Biological Diversity, and the Grand Canyon Trust banded together last month to sue the Forest Service for not conducting a thorough review of the environmental impacts of the uranium mining. The groups were able to sue under the Administrative Procedure Act that governs proper bureaucratic protocol, as in cases that involve the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) [read more about the essentials of NEPA].

All signs indicate that there will most likely be an appeal.

Associated Press

Photo: James Gordon