Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Chair, the Grand Canyon Centennial Protection Act is an important bill to protect one of America's most iconic national parks and elevate the voices of Tribal communities.

Tribal leaders from across the Southwest have called on Congress to permanently protect this region from uranium mining. These communities have seen firsthand the devastating impact uranium extraction could have on their lives, on their health, and the health of their children.

For example, the Havasupai Tribe live in the bottom of the Grand Canyon. Uranium contamination of the aquifers that sustain their land would destroy their drinking water, their farms, and kill their livestock. Even their ability to remain on their Tribal homeland is at risk.

It is time for Congress to listen to these Tribal leaders. It is time for Congress to stand up for future generations who are relying upon us for clean water, public lands, cultural heritage, and other priceless resources.

As a chair of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Subcommittee, I hear from Americans about the value of conserving our public lands and protecting our air and our water. The Trump administration's agenda puts that all at risk by prioritizing profits for mining companies over our public health and the health of our environment.

In my home State of Minnesota, the Trump administration's push to mine at any cost jeopardizes the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, our Nation's most visited wilderness area.

Congress needs to state clearly and emphatically that some places are just simply too important and too precious to exploit. Today, we take a stand to protect the lands and waters surrounding the Grand Canyon, one of the earliest and most iconic national parks.

Madam Chair, I support H.R. 1373, and I urge my colleagues to do the same.

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