A U.S. District Court judge in Arizona has ruled that the Department of Interior did not act unlawfully when it instituted a 20-year ban on new mining claims in a one-million acre area adjacent to Grand Canyon National Park.
Then-Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar instituted the 20-year ban in the uranium rich area in January of 2012. Mining groups and economic interests in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah filed suit contending that the action was baseless and violates the mandate of multiple use of public lands.
Buster Johnson is a county supervisor in Mohave County, Ariz.
"Out here, we're not the big city people. We're people who like to work with their hands and take a lot of pride in producing something and bringing home a paycheck for a decent day's work. That's what they need to get going."
The groups have 60 days to file an appeal.