One of first US uranium mines opens near Grand Canyon after eight years

Pinyon Plain’s start comes amid US’s push to boost production, but tribes fear contamination of water and cultural sites

A uranium mine in Arizona located just 7 miles south of the Grand Canyon national park has begun operations, one of the first in the US to open in eight years.

The opening of the Pinyon Plain mine comes as the US seeks to boost domestic production of the mineral needed for nuclear energy and accelerate divesting from fossil fuels.