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President Trump announced this week that he plans on reopening national parks soon, sparking concern that the health and safety of employees, visitors, and gateway communities will be compromised. Neither President Trump nor the Interior Department have announced details or a timeline for reopening the parks that are closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Many of the closures are less than a month old, and Interior only closed some of the sites after public outcry as visitors flocked to rural communities with limited medical resources.
Experts warn that lifting restrictions too soon will increase the scope of the pandemic. National parks intentionally funnel visitors on popular trails to lookout points, causing crowds to form in those spaces and making social distancing challenging. "I am of course excited for Arches and Canyonlands to open," said Moab's mayor Emily Niehaus. "My concern is that if we are inviting people here, we're inviting the virus here."
Trump administration releases Nuclear Fuel Working Group report
Yesterday, the Energy Department released a report encouraging President Trump to bail out foreign-owned uranium mining companies. The report's recommendations include expanding access to uranium mining on public land and weakening environmental reviews for uranium mining projects. “Foreign-owned uranium corporations pushed to shrink Bears Ears National Monument, and now they want to increase mining around the Grand Canyon," stated Jennifer Rokala, Executive Director of the Center for Western Priorities. "The Trump administration appears ready to use a global pandemic as cover to greenlight dangerous mining operations that could contaminate one of America’s natural wonders and landscapes across the West."
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The industry wants a sweetheart deal. They want to expedite their critical minerals so they can just skip the process. And then more importantly, a guaranteed buyback. Talk about creeping socialism, my God. We’re guaranteeing a revenue-based system. That rarely, if at all, happens.”
