Conservation groups, tribe defend feds in Grand Canyon uranium mining lawsuit

"A coalition of conservation groups and a Native American tribe are backing the U.S. government in its battle to block new uranium mining in Arizona’s iconic Grand Canyon..."
By Troy Hooper 
Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 4:14 pm

Photo by Michael Quinn, NPS Employee

www.AcrossArizonaTours.com

Most people understand that radiation contamination is costly and can make some places (Chernobyl: is uninhabitable because radiation levels around the plant are still so high that authorities do not expect the area to be inhabitable for between 180 and 320 years) unsafe to visit. Thus, do we really want to take this risk with the Grand Canyon? Now I understand we are not talking about a power plant but what if uranium gets into the river or ground water - then what? 


"Japan's international-tourist numbers have plunged this year, hit by the double whammy of a record-breaking high yen and the lingering radiation concerns from the Fukushima nuclear disaster. Eight months have passed since the devastating earthquake and tsunami, but many tourists are still hesitant about traveling to Japan. 


Connie Yang, a Singapore-based lawyer, says her family usually takes a ski holiday in the winter on the northern island of Hokkaido, but they won't be going this year. "We definitely decided not to come to [Japan] this winter due to radiation scares because we have young children, and [we] decide where we are going about eight months before our actual trip," she says. 


Many others likely have the same question on their minds: Is it really safe to visit again?"
By Lucy Birmingham / Tokyo Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2099119,00.html#ixzz1p7Tx4QrT