Representative Grace F. Napolitano Representing the 38th District of California
 
  For Immediate Release Contact: 202-225-5256  
April 12, 2010  
     

Rep. Napolitano Calls for Protection of Grand Canyon Waters at Hearing

     
     

(Washington D.C.)- On Thursday, April 8, the Subcommittee on Water and Power, chaired by Congresswoman Grace Napolitano, and the Subcommittee on National Parks, Forests, and Public Lands held a joint field hearing entitled “On the Edge: Challenges Facing Grand Canyon National Park” at the Shrine of the Ages in Grand Canyon, Arizona. The hearing’s panel of expert witnesses discussed issues including the potential water quality impact of a proposed nearby uranium mine, the Colorado River Management Plan, the effects of Glen Canyon Dam on resource management and environmental mitigation efforts, and the link between environmental quality and visitor experience.

“The Grand Canyon is both a national treasure and a critical junction for water flowing from the Rocky Mountains to farms and cities across California, Nevada, and Arizona,” Napolitano said. “What happens within the walls of this canyon has important consequences for everyone who lives downstream. We must protect the canyon’s natural beauty and ensure that its water continues to be safe and clean for the millions of people who depend on it.”

“Today we have to decide whether, in the thirsty Southwest, the water of the Colorado River is more precious than uranium,” said Bill Hedden, Executive Director of the Grand Canyon Trust, referring to proposed uranium mining near the canyon.

“Humans depend on the uncontaminated state of the water,” said Nikki Cooley, Program Manager for the Landsward Institute’s Native American River Guide and Cultural Interpretation Program at Northern Arizona University and a member of the Navajo tribe. “With such a tainted history, why are we continuing to expose and risk the health of our natural resources and people?”

“We know what the stakes are,” Napolitano said. “We have seen in the past what the consequences of contamination can be. Without due caution, uranium mining could be disastrous for the park, the tribes who live here, and the millions of Americans who draw upon the Colorado River further downstream. Our tributaries and underground rivers cannot be exposed to contamination.”

The Colorado River supplies about one-third of the water used in the Los Angeles Basin.

Napolitano has been the Chair of the Water and Power Subcommittee since the 110th Congress and has been a longtime proponent of water conservation and protection. In 1999, she led federal action to clean up uranium pilings that were leeching waste materials into the Colorado River near Moab, Utah.

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