Two U.S. industry groups filed petitions in the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to reverse a 20-year ban against new uranium mining claims on more than 1 million acres of public land adjacent to the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona, Reuters reported March 10.
The National Mining Association and the American Exploration and Mining Association are seeking to reverse the ban instituted by the Obama administration in 2012 that sought to protect the Havasupai tribe's water source.
In December 2017, the ban was upheld by the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
The push for uranium mining was bolstered by a draft list of critical minerals the U.S. Department of the Interior published in the Federal Register in February.
