Arizona’s Senate president is urging Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to reverse former President Joe Biden’s designation of nearly 1 million acres in the state as a national monument, which he claims restricts future energy exploration.
State Sen. Warren Petersen, R-Gilbert, wrote a letter to Secretary Burgum, expressing his intent to undo certain national monument designations to promote domestic energy development and make the U.S. less reliant on foreign uranium.
Petersen criticized Biden’s proclamation that created the 'Ancestral Footprints National Monument' near the Grand Canyon, preventing the exploration of an estimated 300 million pounds of uranium. He argued that unlocking this potential energy source could benefit the country.
He referenced past investigations into alleged Russian involvement in U.S. energy interests, particularly the Uranium One deal, which Trump labeled as a significant issue during the 2016 election cycle.
Petersen highlighted the Biden administration’s efforts to protect millions of acres in Alaska and marine areas from oil and gas interests, emphasizing the need for domestic energy resources.
He pointed out that the U.S. currently imports most of its uranium and criticized previous bans on domestic uranium mining, which he believes Biden’s action has now made permanent.
Petersen estimated the uranium reserves beneath the new national monument to be substantial, equivalent to 13 billion barrels of oil in an area the size of Rhode Island.
He argued that the monument does not serve the purpose of protecting the Grand Canyon and accused the previous administration of overreach and theft of critical resources from Arizona.
Petersen expressed his commitment to working with the Trump Administration to reverse federal actions that he views as unconstitutional and to restore Arizona’s control over its resources.
He believes that collaboration with the Trump Administration will benefit Arizona and the nation as they recover from what he perceives as excessive federal intervention.
