Pinyon Plain Mine,
Coconino County, AZ
Uranium Mining near Tribe’s Sacred Mountain
The Pinyon Plain Mine (lat 35°52’57.50” N,long 112°05’44.52” W) is within the Kaibab NationalForest about 5 kilometers from Red Butte (Wi’i Jgwal Gwa;lat 35°49’12.76” N, long 112°5’23.56” W), which is one ofthe sites related to Havasupai creation stories (fig. 3; Atencio,1996). Red Butte is also sacred to the Hopi (Oawinpi), Navajo(Tse zhin e’ahi), and Zuni Tribes (Hedquist and Ferguson,2010). The mine, which is owned and operated by EnergyFuels, Inc., is rich in uranium and copper (Mathisen andothers, 2023) and is in an area the Havasupai call Mat TaavJuudva (roughly translated as “sacred meeting corridor”).The area was designated as a Traditional Cultural Propertyby the U.S. Forest Service in 2010, but this designation didnot exempt Red Butte and the surrounding area from renewedmining operations at the Pinyon Plain Mine (Winters, 2016).Energy Fuels, Inc., changed the name of the mine to PinyonPlain Plain in 2020; it had previously been known as theCanyon Mine since at least the 1980s (U.S. Department ofAgriculture, 1986). - Tilousi, C., and Hinck, J.E., 2024, Expanded conceptual risk framework for uranium mining in Grand Canyonwatershed—Inclusion of the Havasupai Tribe perspective (ver. 1.1, February 2024): U.S. Geological Survey Open-FileReport 2023–1092, 25 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/ofr20231092.
Shut Down Pinyon Plain Mine Protest
August 27, 2024
Flagstaff, AZ
The Havasupai Tribe, whose homeland lies within the Grand Canyon, stands on the frontlines of this fight, as the mine threatens to contaminate their sole source of water-the Havasu Creek, which nourishes the community and sustains their cultural practices. The uranium mining operations not only pose an immediate threat to the health and environment of the Havasupai but also endanger the Navajo Nation and the Ute Tribe, as the hazardous transportation of uranium ore to the White Mesa Mill in Utah exposes these communities to potential contamination. The Ute Tribe, whose lands are in dangerously close proximity to the mill, faces heightened risks from the toxic legacy of uranium processing. The Pinyon Plain Mine disregards the sacredness of the Grand Canyon and the lives of the Indigenous peoples who depend on its purity. We must act now to protect our lands, our water, and our future from these devastating impacts.
WHAT IS PINYON PLAIN MINE ( by Haul No! )
- The Pinyon Plain/Canyon Mine is a uranium mine located near Red Butte, a sacred mountain and Traditional Cultural Property only six miles from the Grand Canyon's South Rim. Canadian company,
- Energy Fuels, is operating under a Plan of Operations and Environmental Review that date to 1986, and the Forest Service failed to properly consult with the Havasupai Tribe before allowing the mine to operate.
- The Havasupal Tribe, @grandcanyontrust, @centerforbiodiv and @sierraclubaz have legally challenged the United States Forest Service's decision to allow Energy Fuels Resources to reopen the Pinyon Plain/Canyon uranium mine, which was initially approved in the 1980s and had been closed since 1992.
- The mine can produce up to 109,500 tons of high-grade uranium ore annually and is permitted to stockpile up to 13,100 tons of ore on-site. Notably, it is located within a one-million-acre area that was withdrawn from mining in 2012 due to environmental and cultural concerns.
source: Haul No!
Expanded Conceptual Risk Framework - USGS
Havasupai, AZ
Technical Approach on the Pre-Feasibility Study on the Pinyon Plain Project
Coconino County, AZ
