TESTIMONY

OF

SUPERVISOR CARL TAYLOR

COCONINO COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

BEFORE THE

HOUSE NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL PARKS, FORESTS AND PUBLIC LANDS

"COMMUNITY IMPACTS OF PROPOSED URANIUM MINING NEAR GRAND CANYON NATIONAL
PARK"

MARCH 28, 2008

Chairman Grijalva and members of the Subcommittee on National Parks,
Forest and Public Lands, I appreciate the opportunity to provide
testimony on community impacts of proposed uranium mining near Grand
Canyon National Park. My name is Carl Taylor and I am a Coconino County
Supervisor representing District One. I am here today representing the
Coconino County Board of Supervisors. The Board of Supervisors
appreciates the efforts of Chairman Grijalva and the Committee to bring
this issue forward and to hold this important hearing in Coconino
County.

Coconino County is the second largest county in the nation encompassing
more than 18,000 square miles. Our county includes rugged terrain,
canyons, beautiful peaks and forest lands. Coconino County is home to
national treasures, including Oak Creek Canyon, Sunset Crater National
Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument and Grand Canyon National
Park. Our county includes thirteen percent private land with the
remaining land owned by the Federal government, Native American Tribes
and the State of Arizona. Coconino County is home to the Navajo Nation
Tribe, Hopi Tribe, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Havasupai Tribe and
the Hualapai Tribes.

In Coconino County, we pride ourselves on the relationships we have
fostered with Native American Tribes, state and federal land managers,
as well as our neighboring counties and communities in Arizona and Utah.
We strive to make decisions in our communities that protect the health
and well-being of our residents. Unfortunately, at times, while actions
affect our county and our residents, the decision-making is not in our
hands. One such decision was recently made by the U.S. Forest Service to
permit the drilling of exploration holes for uranium less than two miles
from Grand Canyon National Park.

[Forest Service Decision]{.underline}

On January 10, 2008, the Tusayan Ranger District of the Kaibab National
Forest issued a decision to allow VANE Minerals, LLC, to begin drilling
exploration holes for uranium. VANE Minerals, LLC, is a gold, silver and
uranium exploration company that operates in the United States, Great
Britain and Mexico. The decision allows VANE Minerals, LLC, to drill
exploration holes for uranium at seven project sites on the Tusayan
Ranger District. According to the Kaibab National Forest, the primary
purpose of the project is for VANE Minerals, LLC, to locate and assess
the quantity and commercial resource potential for uranium ore deposits
within the Tusayan Ranger District. The location of the drill
exploration sites is east of Highway 64, less than two miles from the
Grand Canyon National Park within Coconino County.

Within the decision memo, the 1872 Mining Law is cited as providing the
authority for the Tusayan Ranger District to approve mineral exploration
and development. The 1872 Mining Law was passed by Congress and signed
by President Ulysses S. Grant to protect and encourage mining and
settlement in the Western territories. 

According to the Kaibab National Forest, because the 1872 Mining Law
authorizes the taking of valuable mineral commodities from Public Domain
Lands, a "no action" alternative was not an option for the Kaibab
National Forest. Therefore, the decision by the Kaibab national Forest
is based on whether mitigation measures are sufficient to reduce or
eliminate environmental impacts at the surface, but not on whether or
not to allow the exploration activity.

More than 2,000 mining claims have been filed with the Tusayan Ranger
District of the Kaibab National Forest since 2003. The majority of these
claims are within ten miles of Grand Canyon National Park.

[History of Uranium Development in Coconino County]{.underline}

In reaction to concerns raised by the VANE Minerals, LLC, decision, on
February 5, 2008, the Coconino County Board of Supervisors adopted a
resolution opposing uranium development in the vicinity of the portions
of the Grand Canyon National Park and its watershed within Coconino
County as identified in the attached map. In the resolution, the Board
of Supervisors identified areas in the Tusayan Ranger District and
additional claims filed on lands managed by the Bureau of Land
Management in House Rock Valley. The Board of Supervisors cited the
potential harm to the Grand Canyon if uranium mining occurred. In
addition, the Board referred to previous uranium development operations
in Coconino County and the long-term effects on health and the
environment.

Coconino County has witnessed serious health and environmental effects
associated with the long-term effects of uranium mining. Uranium
development operations in Coconino County have caused considerable
contamination and environmental degradation, particularly on the Navajo
and Hopi Nations in the vicinity of Tuba City. In fact, in Tuba City,
decommissioned uranium mining sites were capped with clay and rock
causing groundwater contamination. The decommissioned mine and site
continues to put residents at risk of contaminated drinking water.

Coconino County has witnessed the contamination of creeks and aquifers
providing public drinking water. In the Grand Canyon National Park, the
Orphan Mine operated within the park until 1969. The remnants from the
Orphan Mine are approximately two miles northwest of the South Rim
Village, between Maricopa Point and the Powell Memorial. Mining waste
from the Orphan Mine are present at the upper and lower mine areas and
the area is inaccessible to visitors. The presence of radioactive
materials from the mine is being blamed for the contamination of Horn
Creek in the Grand Canyon National Park.

[Tourism and Economic Development]{.underline}

Grand Canyon National Park is a national and international treasure.
Designated as a National Park in 1919, our state symbol attracts almost
five million visitors to northern Arizona to visit the Grand Canyon each
year. The Grand Canyon National Park encompasses more than 1.2 million
acres and contains extensive geological, paleontological, archeological
and biological resources.

With the five million visitors to Grand Canyon National Park comes
significant tourism revenue for communities and counties in northern
Arizona. The Arizona Hospitality Research and Resource Center at
Northern Arizona University estimates that the total annual economic
impact of all Grand Canyon National Park visitors to the north and south
rim is approximately \$687 million.

The economy in Coconino County is primarily based on revenue generated
by tourism. Therefore, the potential negative impact to tourism in
northern Arizona from uranium mining near Grand Canyon National Park
cannot be overstated. In fiscal year 2007, Coconino County alone
generated almost \$13 million in sales tax revenue, a large portion of
which is generated by tourism and related industries. Couple this with
state sales tax collected by the state and distributed to counties and
municipalities, sales tax revenue accounts for fifty eight percent of
Coconino County's general fund revenues.

While Coconino County continues to support regional economic development
opportunities, we are also cognizant of potential impacts from
industries. Uranium mining in certain portions of the County has always
remained a concern in Coconino County. In the Coconino County
Comprehensive Plan, adopted by Coconino County on September 23, 2003,
planners discouraged industrial uses, including mining, along scenic
corridors or at community gateways, including the Grand Canyon National
Park.

**[CONCLUSION]{.underline}**

As outlined in our resolution passed on February 5, 2008, the Coconino
County Board of Supervisors supports the permanent withdrawal of lands
in Coconino County from uranium development on the Tusayan Ranger
District and House Rock Valley. In addition to the permanent withdrawal,
Coconino County supports providing federal land managers with the
authority to assess cultural and economic impacts when making decisions
under mining and reclamation laws.

The past mistakes of the uranium mining industry will have ever-lasting
effects on areas within Coconino County. While workers at the Orphan
Mine in the Grand Canyon marveled at the grandeur of the Grand Canyon
before plummeting 1,500 feet into the mine to work, our county is faced
with the long-term effects of this mine and others on our health and the
environment.

While Coconino County, and particularly the Navajo and Hopi Tribes, have
faced significant financial costs associated with past uranium
development, we cannot place a cost on the long-term health effects left
by uranium mining. Our concern about these issues resulted in the
passage of the resolution opposing further local uranium development --
particularly in light of the Forest Service's stated inability to deny
the requested exploratory activity at the south entrance to Grand Canyon
Park.

As identified in the Coconino County Comprehensive Plan, Coconino County
places a value on protecting our natural environment, including air and
water quality, and balancing our environmental concerns with economic
development. The County Comprehensive Plan identified a specific concern
with industrial activities in community gateways which would include
Grand Canyon National Park.

It is important to recall that the resolution of the Coconino County
Board of Supervisors is specific to areas within Coconino County in the
Tusayan Ranger District and lands managed by the Bureau of Land
Management in House Rock Valley. Coconino County continues to work
directly with neighboring counties and communities in collaborative
partnerships and would welcome the opportunity for these communities to
provide comments on any proposals that specifically affect their
counties and communities in terms of economic development.

Thank you for the opportunity to address the House Natural Resources
Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests and Public Land. The Coconino
County Board of Supervisors would like to extend our gratitude to
Chairman Grijalva and the Committee for their continued efforts to
address community impacts of proposed uranium development near Grand
Canyon National Park.