Mining claims threaten to mar the borders of 10 iconic national parks and wilderness areas, particularly the Grand Canyon, where uranium claims have increased 2,000% since 2004, according to a new report by the Pew Environment Group. Mining companies have filed claims to the rights to copper, gold and other metals in addition to uranium in areas around Mt. Rushmore, Joshua Tree National Park and other famous refuges at an increased rate in the last five to seven years because of rising global prices, the Pew report said. Claims in such sensitive places are facilitated by an outmoded 1872 law, critics say. The law allows corporations to stake out rights to federal lands for mining without a competitive bid and to extract resources without paying royalties.
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-na-mining-20110415,0,1859228.story