AZ Senate leader urges Burgum to reverse Biden-Obama ‘land grabs’ on uranium sites

Arizona’s Senate president is pushing back against what he calls a “land grab” by the Biden administration in the Grand Canyon State. State Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, has written a letter to Interior Secretary Doug Burgum urging him to undo the designation of nearly 1 million acres in Arizona as the “Ancestral Footprints National Monument.”

Petersen argues that this designation, which prohibits energy exploration in the area, is hindering the development of domestic energy resources, including critical minerals and nuclear energy. He points out that there is an estimated 300 million pounds of uranium in the area, which could help make the U.S. less reliant on foreign sources of uranium.

The senator also highlights concerns about foreign entities influencing energy policies in the U.S. He references a case involving Russian entities attempting to further Moscow’s energy goals through the sale of the company Uranium One to Russian energy giant Rosatom during the Trump administration.

Petersen is not alone in his efforts to combat what he sees as federal overreach in Arizona. He and other state officials have been fighting against such “land grabs” for more than a decade. The senator emphasizes that the federal government already owns nearly half of the land in Arizona, and the new national monument does not effectively protect the Grand Canyon as claimed by its supporters.

One of the justifications for the monument was the protection of the northern grasshopper mouse, which can carry fleas infected with the plague. However, Petersen believes that this does not justify locking away valuable energy resources.

In his letter to Secretary Burgum, Petersen expresses confidence in working with the Trump administration to reverse what he sees as unconstitutional actions by the previous administration. He believes that restoring control over Arizona’s resources will help the state regain its Tenth Amendment rights.

As Arizona continues to grapple with federal land designations and energy policies, Petersen remains committed to fighting for the interests of the state and its residents. The debate over the Ancestral Footprints National Monument is just one example of the ongoing struggle between state and federal authorities over land use and energy development.