WASHINGTON — President Biden today established the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, under the Antiquities Act, permanently protecting more than 900,000 acres of some of the most iconic landscape in the American West.
Manish Bapna, president and CEO of NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council), made the following statement:
“This honors the vision of the Grand Canyon Tribal Coalition, which has long advocated to protect this special place. It conserves for future generations sites of unique cultural and historical resonance. It protects drinking water that’s vital to the entire region. It safeguards some of the most iconic public lands in the American West from the ravages of destructive mining and dangerous waste.
“The uranium mining industry has scarred the region with a toxic legacy. Tribal communities have paid the highest price. That’s environmental injustice. This takes an important step toward addressing it today and preventing more tomorrow.”
NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) is an international nonprofit environmental organization with more than 3 million members and online activists. Established in 1970, NRDC uses science, policy, law, and people power to confront the climate crisis, protect public health, and safeguard nature. NRDC has offices in New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Bozeman, MT, Beijing and Delhi (an office of NRDC India Pvt. Ltd). Visit us at www.nrdc.org and follow us on Twitter @NRDC.
