The Pinyon Plain Mine, a planned uranium extraction operation roughly 10 miles south of the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, recently took one more step toward operation when the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality issued an aquifer protection plan permit.
The permit is required for any operation that discharges pollutants into groundwater. Applicants must show how they plan to use technology to prevent discharges from filtering into groundwater and meet other state water quality standards.
The Obama Administration issued a 1-million-acre mineral extraction ban in the area of the mine. Pinyon Plain was grandfathered because it has been in planning since 1984 and was permitted before the ban was issued.
Environmental groups and area Native tribes, particularly the Havasupai, have fought against the mine plan for years and have lost several court and procedural battles.
Mine owner Energy Fuels Resources will have to restrict its operations to a narrow band in the project area and increase its post-closure procedure funding. The newly issued permit consolidates three previous permits and includes U.S. Forest Service-approved groundwater protections. ADEQ said the new permits will make Pinyon Plains the most heavily regulated mine in the country.
According to the project page on the Energy Fuels Resources website, the Pinyon Plain site has 2.43 million pounds of measured and indicated uranium resources and nearly 12 million measured and indicated pounds of copper. (Source)