Our Numerous Modern Day Atrocities Continue,
While Our National Apathy Gives Me The Blues
“What hangs in the balance is not just the Grand Canyon's splendor,
But important wildlife habitat, and the health of the Colorado River,
Which today provides clean drinking water to millions.”
The Pew Environment Group
We have bulldozed far too many of our great green forests
We have ‘oil-sickened’ our nation’s wondrous Gulf Coast
We are today, blowing off our mountaintops, to extract coal
And now, we plan to destroy a treasure, once revered by most
Conservationists are fighting to stop Grand Canyon uranium mining
Powerful mining companies are now eagerly lusting after its deposits
Most of America’s citizens today, don’t seem to care about any of this
And of course, our leaders and our elected officials, are about to cave in
A moratorium on uranium mining around the Grand Canyon expires on July 21st
This magnificent national treasure, had been protected since the late 19th Century
But far too many of us don’t seem to care anymore, about what we are now losing
Our politicians all know this, and Big Business is already anticipating profits with glee
If you care at all, about the type of legacy, which we will be leaving to future generations
You might want to voice your protests to the Interior Secretary, and even to the President
They have the power and ability, to enforce a mining moratorium, for future years to come
If we, and they, do nothing, what our nation will soon lose, should now be horridly evident
Mining of hard rock minerals—gold, uranium, and other metals—on America’s public lands, is still governed by the old General Mining Law of 1872. Virtually unchanged since it was signed into law by President Ulysses S. Grant to promote the development of the American West, this frontier-era statute is no match for today’s extremely powerful, well funded, Congressional lobbying, international mining corporations.
Under this old 1872 law:
· Mining companies are still allowed to take approximately $1 billion annually in gold and other precious metals from our public lands, without payment of any royalties.
· There is almost no enforced regulation of mining - our nation’s top-polluting industry, and very few resources are available to clean up abandoned mines. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has documented more than $2 billion in taxpayer spending over the past decade, on attempted mine cleanups.
· Mining (like modern day corporate ranching) is given a priority status on most of our public lands, making it nearly impossible to restrict it, even near or in our national parks and other iconic areas, like the Grand Canyon.
Massive Uranium Mining Operations in and around the Grand Canyon will seriously impair, and ultimately destroy, this region’s natural ecosystems, wreaking havoc on this once revered national treasure, drying up critical fresh water springs, killing off its fish and wildlife, and releasing toxic chemicals into the environment. Mining spillage will also degrade and contaminate the downstream fresh water supply, which is relied on today by millions of American citizens.
And, I was horrified to learn that just like our nation’s current Deep Water Gulf Oil Drilling Operations, many of these Mining Companies that are now so eagerly waiting in line to rape and pillage our wondrous Grand Canyon are foreign-owned, they are not even U.S. corporations.
If our National Apathy concerning the present and future use of our public lands, our national parks, our fresh water supplies, our remaining wildlife, and our remaining national treasures continues as it is – far too soon, they will all be destroyed – and, we will never get them back.
©June 2011, Mr. Ed
Grand Canyon Uranium Mining
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Anna
fee
with heartaching
~Mr Ed~
so kind and loving
of the universe...
gives us warning to
wake up and declare
the greediness
Lady Vivian
Dan
I just sent a complete copy to my Senator, Barbara Mikulski - also, went to WHITE HOUSE site and tried to post ... BUT the so-called' openness & transparency only ALLOWS 2500 characters ... doubt HE will ever read it - but GAVE the Deadline - July 21st!
Tom.