Tag: grand canyon protection

Two "dark money" groups called "Prosper Inc" and "Prosper Foundation Inc" have been raising funds that are being directed at an effort to overturn the Antiquities Act which was created by Theodore Roosevelt and utilized to protect the Grand Canyon area in 1908.  Roosevelt, feeling that encroachment and development threatened the remaining wild spaces of America, created the law that would prevent such encroachment by limiting the distance from a named area that development could happen.  While this is an obvious benefit to not only the people of America but worldwide as they are allowed to view unspoiled areas of beauty, industry has notoriously been against the idea of being limited from utilizing areas of the United States for private profit.  The debate has raged for many years, but has never been closer to being turned in favor of development.  The problem is that once an area is developed, it can never be restored. Charles and David Koch have an interest in mining the area surrounding the Grand Canyon for uranium, and are utilizing the organizations to raise large sums of money for lobbying efforts to overturn the Antiquities Act.  The push has resulted in several Arizona politicians being voted into positions of influence regarding the decision, calling protection of places like the Grand Canyon, Chaco Canyon, and Arches — “the worst kind of federal overreach.”  There is a joint Prosper/Arizona Chamber of Commerce effort ongoing opposing the creation of the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument, which would permanently ban uranium mining in the area.  Environmental groups, businesses and local tribes have united to call upon President Obama to use the Antiquities Act to protect the 1.7 million acre gateway to the Grand Canyon.  This would permanently prohibit new uranium mines on the canyon’s rim. The opposition to the Greater Grand Canyon Heritage National Monument is