In the Rockies today, uranium mining is making a comeback near the Grand Canyon, and a couple of U.S. billionaires take a tour of Alberta's oilsands operations.
The Orphan Mine near the south rim of the Grand Canyon provides quiet testament to the ill effects of uranium mining done decades ago.
A fence keeps visitors away from radioactive leavings and signs warn thirty hikers away from Horn Creek down canyon from the 1950s-era mine.
But thousands of new uranium mining claims have been filed on federal lands around Grand Canyon National Park, and industry leaders say new environmental regulations will prevent radioactive contamination from reaching the Colorado River that flows along the canyon's floor.
Opponents disagree and say mining activity will free uranium and other elements from their natural beds and allow them to move into groundwater, springs and ultimately the river.
A U.S. House resolution passed earlier this year has put mining claims on hold along the Canyon's south rim, but the Bureau of Land Management said the resolution doesn't apply to its lands and is continuing to issue permits along the north side of the canyon.
Moving north to Alberta, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet took a tour of oilsands operations on Monday, with one source attributing the trip to an interest in investing in the area.
Buffett, who has investments in one company that holds significant oilsands assets, said the Canadian oilsands offer a secure supply of oil to the U.S.
The Alberta operations have recently come under fire in the United States from environmental groups and U.S. mayors, about the environmental impacts of mining and refining the oilsands.
