ARIZONA
Uranium mined near Grand Canyon as demand, prices soar
The largest uranium producer in the United States is ramping up work just south of Grand Canyon National Park on a long-contested project that comes as global instability and growing demand drive uranium prices higher.
The Biden administration and dozens of other countries have pledged to triple the capacity of nuclear power worldwide in their battle against climate change, and policy changes are being adopted by some to lessen Russia's influence over the supply chain.
But as the U.S. pursues its nuclear power potential, environmentalists and Native American leaders remain fearful of the consequences for communities near mining and milling sites in the West and are demanding more regulatory oversight.
The new mining at Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon is happening within the boundaries of the Baaj Nwaavjo I'tah Kukv National Monument that was designated in August by President Joe Biden. The work was allowed to move forward since Energy Fuels Inc. had valid existing rights.
The mine will cover 17 acres and operate for just a few years, producing at least 2 million pounds of uranium — enough to power the state of Arizona for at least a year with carbon-free electricity, Energy Fuels spokesman Curtis Moore said.
Energy Fuels, which also is prepping two more mines in Colorado and Wyoming, was awarded a contract in 2022 to sell $18.5 million in uranium concentrates to the U.S. government to help establish the nation's strategic reserve for when supplies might be disrupted.
Amid the growing appetite for uranium, a coalition of Native Americans testified before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in late February, asking the panel to pressure the U.S. government to overhaul outdated mining laws and prevent further exploitation of marginalized communities.
The Havasupai are concerned mining could affect water supplies, wildlife, plants and geology throughout the Colorado Plateau, and the Colorado River flowing through the Grand Canyon and its tributaries are vital to millions of people across the West.
For the Havasupai, their water comes from aquifers deep below the mine.
Noxious weed forces closure at national monument
COOLIDGE — It literally stinks that visitors to Casa Grande Ruins National Monument in south-central Arizona might not be able to use the attraction's picnic area until May.
Monument officials announced on March 27 that the picnic area will be closed from March 28 through April 30 due to the density of an invasive and noxious winter weed called stinknet that can grow more than two feet tall.
The weed has a turpentine-like odor and can cause serious breathing problems as well as severe skin rashes.
Stinknet has bright yellow blossoms on narrow green stems. The blossoms are round and similar to the shape of golf balls, right down to the dimpled pattern.
Arizona Native Plant Society officials said stinknet explosively spread in Maricopa County during the wet fall and winter seasons of 2016, 2018 and 2019.
That led to heavy infestations on the north fringes of Phoenix and Scottsdale along with rapid movement southward to Casa Grande.
Monument said the Casa Grande Ruins team is working on a solution that will get the picnic area reopened as soon as possible, but they said it may take until May 1.
The monument preserves a group of structures built by the Hohokam tribe more than 700 years ago.
KANSAS
Bill requires providers to ask patients why they want abortions
TOPEKA — Republican legislators gave final approval on March 26 to a bill that would require Kansas abortion providers to ask their patients why they want to terminate their pregnancies and then report the answers to the state.
The Senate approved the bill 27-13 after the House approved it earlier in March, sending the measure to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. She is a strong abortion rights supporter and is expected to veto the bill, but supporters appear to have exactly the two-thirds majorities in both chambers they would need to override a veto.
At least eight states require similar reporting, but none of them has had a statewide vote on abortion rights as Kansas did in August 2022, when voters decisively protected abortion rights under the state constitution.
Democrats are frustrated because Republicans and anti-abortion groups have pursued new rules for abortion providers despite the 2022 vote. But supporters of the reporting bill say it would give the state better data that would help legislators make policy decisions.
The bill would require providers to ask patients 11 questions about their reasons for terminating a pregnancy, including that they can't afford another child, raising a child would hinder their education or careers, or a spouse or partner wanted her to have an abortion. A woman would not be required to answer, however.
The bill also would require providers to report each patient's age, marital status, race and education level, while using a "confidential code" for each patient so that they wouldn't be identified to the state.
NORTH DAKOTA
Voters to decide whether 81 is too old to serve in Congress
BISMARCK — North Dakota voters will decide in June whether to prevent people from running for Congress if they're old enough to turn 81 during their House or Senate term.
A signature drive has succeeded in adding the question to the ballot, Secretary of State Michael Howe's office announced on March 15, and while some legal scholars say the state age limit for congressional seats would be unconstitutional, it could lead to a challenge of a Supreme Court precedent that has held for decades.
The ballot initiative wouldn't prevent any current incumbents from running again. The oldest member of North Dakota's three-person congressional delegation is Republican Sen. John Hoeven, at 67. North Dakota has had octogenarian senators in the past, including Democrat Quentin Burdick, who died in office in 1992 at age 84.
The ballot measure could be an attempt to draw a test case to see if the U.S. Supreme Court would be willing to allow individual states to set congressional age limits, University of North Dakota political science professor Mark Jendrysik has said. The court ruled in a 1995 term limits case that states cannot set qualifications for Congress beyond those listed in the U.S. Constitution, which says candidates must be at least 25 to serve in the House, 30 in the Senate and 35 to become president, but sets no maximum age limits.
The measure "looks unconstitutional" under that decision, said Jason Marisam, who teaches constitutional and election law at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law in St. Paul, Minn. The only justice remaining from that 1995 decision is Clarence Thomas, who dissented saying that states or the people can act on issues where the Constitution is silent.
The chairman of the initiative committee, Jared Hendrix, has said the measure aims to avoid cognitive and age-related issues related to elderly officeholders.
The measure's push emerged last summer amid age- and health-related scrutiny of members of Congress. Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein died last year at age 90 after health struggles. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, 82, froze twice in front of reporters last year.
NEW MEXICO
Archaeological site is discovered at Air Force base
HOLLOMAN AIR FORCE BASE — An archaeological site that might shed more light on New Mexico's ancient history has been discovered recently within the boundaries of Holloman Air Force Base.
Base officials said geomorphologists and members of the 49th Civil Engineer Squadron environmental flight uncovered a campsite in early March that's about 8,200 years old and belonged to some of the state's first settlers.
Matthew Cuba, the squadron's cultural resource manager, said the formation of white sand dunes inadvertently buried the site with windblown silt protecting the archaeological remains.
He said digs at the site have turned up about 70 items ranging from flake stones to a rare example of an early ground stone.
"We also uncovered a series of hearths, or community campsites, with remnants of mesquite charcoal, which is a tremendous find in and of itself," Cuba said.
He said the site is one of 400 archaeological discoveries found within the boundaries of Holloman, which was built in 1942 and is located 6 miles southwest of Alamogordo in south-central New Mexico.
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