Grand Canyon Uranium Cases, U.S. Court of Appeals

Watch the oral arguments live at: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/media/live_oral_arguments.php

Two cases involving uranium mining at the Grand Canyon will go before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco on Thurs, Dec 15. One challenges the U.S. Forest Service’s decision to allow Canyon Mine, near the south rim of the Grand Canyon, to resume operations, without updating its 1986 plan of operations and environment impact statement as required by law; the second concerns the mining industry’s lawsuit to overturn the 2012 mineral withdrawal—which put a 20-year ban on new uranium claims around the Grand Canyon. The two cases will be heard back-to-back.

*Arguments are estimated to begin at 10:20 PST (11:20 MST), but may begin as early as 9:30am PST (10:30 MST), please see the calendar for updates: http://www.ca9.uscourts.gov/calendar/view.php?hearing=December%20-%20James%20R.%20Browning%20U.S.%20Courthouse,%20San%20Francisco&dates=12-16&year=2016

Summary of the cases:

Havasupai Tribe v. Heather Provencio – Havasupai Tribe and environmental groups appeal the district court’s summary judgments in favor of the U.S. Forest Service and Energy Fuels Resources in an action arising out of the proposed renewal of operations at the Canyon Mine in Arizona.

National Mining Association v. Sally Jewell – Appellants appeal the district court’s summary judgment in favor of federal defendants and others in an action challenging the government’s withdrawal of more than one million acres of federal land near the Grand Canyon from uranium mining.

Learn more: http://www.grandcanyontrust.org/blog/grand-canyon-uranium-mine-set-re-open