FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- A group of Republican lawmakers is renewing an effort to open up 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon to new mining claims.
Legislation announced Wednesday would prevent the Interior Department from extending a temporary ban on the filing of new mining claims that expires in December. The group said Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's intention to set aside the land for 20 years would eliminate hundreds of potential jobs, create a de facto wilderness area and unravel decades of responsible resource development.
