Biden designates tribal lands in Grand Canyon as a national monument

RED BUTTE, Ariz. — President Biden on Tuesday designated a national monument in Arizona that protects nearly 1 million acres of sacred tribal land from uranium mining in the Grand Canyon.

Mr. Biden said establishing the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument will further his conservation goals and his desire to protect Indigenous peoples and their lands.

“America’s natural wonders are our nation’s heart and soul,” Mr. Biden said from the historic airfield in Red Butte, a picturesque and isolated part of the country. “There is no national treasure, none, that is grander than the Grand Canyon.”

The Havasupai Tribe lives in the Grand Canyon and has lobbied to protect its lands from uranium mining, saying it would damage their ancestral home and the Colorado River watershed.

“For generations we have been at the forefront, working to permanently protect our homelands from uranium mining, which has disproportionately harmed and sickened indigenous people across northern Arizona,” the tribe says on its website.

While there isn’t active uranium mining close to the site, the tribe is worried about encroachment as the world taps into nuclear power and other sources of energy that do not produce carbon emissions.

There has been pushback to the new designation.

Sen. John Barrasso, Wyoming Republican, said Mr. Biden is cutting off vital resources even as the U.S. remains reliant on Russia for uranium.

“The Senate just voted to increase domestic uranium production to eliminate our reliance on Russia. Yet, President Biden is blocking access to key deposits of American uranium and other critical minerals to satisfy his left-wing base,” said Mr. Barrasso, the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “This is not the time to cut off access to American resources.”

Mr. Biden, speaking as the wind kicked up dust around the airfield, said protecting the lands will help to right historic wrongs committed against the tribe.

“I made a commitment as president to prioritize and respect the tribal sovereignty and self-determination,” he said before signing the designation to cheers and applause from tribal members.

Former President Barack Obama had placed a moratorium on uranium in the area, though it was set to expire in 2032.

“The mining is off-limits for future development in that area,” White House national climate adviser Ali Zaidi told reporters Monday on Air Force One.

It is the fifth national monument created by Mr. Biden.

The first part of the monument’s name means “where Indigenous peoples roam” in the Havasupai language, while i’tah kukveni means “our ancestral footprints” in the Hopi language.

Mr. Biden is sealing off the acreage as part of a three-state swing that also includes New Mexico and Utah.

He is trying to highlight policy wins such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which invested heavily in green initiatives. The president is also appealing to key constituencies such as American Indians, military veterans and young people who are concerned about the climate.

“There’s a lot of good that’s going to come from the sacrifices of dealing with, taking on the climate crisis,” Mr. Biden said. “These are investments in our planet, our people and America itself.”

Environmental advocates were furious when Mr. Biden allowed the Willow drilling project to proceed in Alaska. A recent Washington Post-University of Maryland poll found 57% of Americans disapprove of his handling of climate change.

The White House said it is confident about Mr. Biden’s standing.

“We know that polls don’t tell the entire story,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday. “This president is in a stronger place than he was during the midterms.”

• Jeff Mordock reported from Arizona.