# Grand Canyon Protection Act Summary

This bill stops mining companies from extracting minerals on about one million acres of federal land near the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Right now, mining companies can claim rights to dig for copper, uranium, and other minerals on these public lands. This bill would permanently ban that activity by withdrawing the land from all mining operations, meaning no new mining claims could be filed and no minerals could be extracted from these areas.

The practical effect is that the land would be protected from mining development, but the bill includes an important exception: it only applies to future mining activities. If a company already has valid mining rights or claims on this land before the bill passes, those existing rights would be honored and could continue. This is a common approach in land protection laws—the government doesn't take away rights people already have, but prevents new ones from being created.

For Arizona residents and visitors, this means the landscape around the Grand Canyon would be preserved from mining operations that could otherwise disturb the terrain, create pollution, and potentially affect water quality. For mining companies and those who support mining jobs, this eliminates opportunities to develop new mineral operations in this region. The bill essentially locks in the current status of the land while allowing any mining operations that already exist to continue operating under their existing permits.

Grand Canyon Protection Act

Grijalva, Raúl M.

Grand Canyon Protection Act This bill withdraws 1,006,545 acres of federal lands in Arizona, including any land or interest in land acquired by the United States after enactment of this bill, from <ul> <li>entry, appropriation, and disposal under the public land laws; </li> <li>location, entry, and patent under the mining laws; and </li> <li>operation of the mineral leasing and geothermal leasing laws and mineral materials laws. </li> </ul>