Hastings: Uranium mining ban a job killer

WASHINGTON, Jan. 10 (UPI) -- President Obama is playing politics with jobs and energy security by imposing a 20-year ban on uranium mining, U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash, said.

U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced plans to ban additional uranium mining on more than 1 million acres of federal land near the Grand Canyon. He said the ban is the "right approach" to take when considering the "priceless" landscape and its cultural significance.

"We have been entrusted to care for and protect our precious environmental and cultural resources, and we have chosen a responsible path that makes sense for this and future generations," Salazar said in a statement.

Hastings, chairman of the House Committee on Natural Resources, said the decision is another example of Obama putting politics above employment and energy security.

"The United States is already 90 percent dependent on foreign sources of uranium, and this decision only exacerbates our foreign dependence by locking up our own clean energy resources," he said.

The Interior Department said the ban doesn't prohibit uranium mining in the area already approved by the federal government.

"The withdrawal would allow other natural resource development in the area, including mineral leasing, geothermal leasing and mineral materials sales, to the extent consistent with the applicable land use plans," the department said.