Mohave County News
April 2023 Wrap Up
Published by Supervisor
Buster Johnson
Volume 11. Issue 5.

Inside This Issue:
- 5 Minutes with Bureau of Land Management District Manager, William Mack, Jr.
- Supervisor Hopes $500 Reward Will Help Defer Illegal Dumping
- A New Push is Underway to Permanently Ban Uranium Mining
- Supervisors Approve Donation for New Drive-Up Book Drop in LHC
- BLM Proposed Rule Aimed at Grazing in Favor of Profitable Conservation
- What Happens When AI Takes Over?
- Mohave County's Abatement Process
- Mohave County's Plane Crash Mysteries
- May 2023 Wacky & Unique Holidays
- Did You Know: Strange Laws From Arizona's History

Supervisor Hopes $500 Reward Will Help Defer Illegal Dumping In Our Deserts
Lake Havasu City, AZ – Mohave County has an illegal dumping problem, and Supervisor Buster Johnson hopes more publicity on the County’s $500 reward program will help the issue. The Mohave County Environmental Rural Area Cleanup Enforcement (ERACE) program has brought in over 4,000 tons of trash in under twenty years. That is equivalent to over 8 million pounds of trash littered in our desert. The unlawful dumping and leaving discarded items in the desert not only are unsightly but harms the plant and animal life of the desert. Desert animals can get caught in some the wire from furniture or car parts and try to eat some the trash. Supervisor Buster Johnson states, “The desert dumping has become a much bigger problem than people realize. If you spend time in the desert enjoying the outdoors, then you have seen this abuse of our lands.”

Johnson brought forward last year and got passed a new trash ordinance that aimed to put more teeth into enforcement. “I wanted to see a new ordinance that mandated a first-time offense fine along with enforcement of the $500 reward for those who turn in those who continue to dump their trash in the desert,” Johnson stated. The $500 reward is awarded to anyone who turns in someone who dumps trash into the desert. If the information given results in the person successfully cleaning up the trash or is turned in for prosecution, ERACE will award $500.

For those who live in Lake Havasu City limits, Allied Waste, the local trash company, offers large item pickups from residences at no extra charge a couple times a year. “There is no excuse to deface our beautiful desert. People want to go out and enjoy all the amenities the desert offers and then defaces the very thing they are enjoying,” Johnson stated.

Johnson says, if you see something say something. If you want to report an illegal dump site within Mohave County, please call E.R.A.C.E. Detectives at 928-715-0480.

A New Push is Underway to Permanently Ban Uranium Mining in Mohave County
Lake Havasu City, Az - President Biden is considering using the Antiquities Act to allow the proposed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument to be created. If created, the proposed monument would span across 1.1 million acres of land in northern Arizona in Mohave and Coconino Counties. Supervisor Buster Johnson states that, “This would have devasting impacts on Mohave County. This proposal was never coordinated with Mohave County officials, whose area will be changed forever by this designation.”

In 2012 President Obama’s Interior Secretary, Ken Salazar, withdrew from mineral entry over 1 million acres of uranium rich lands in the Arizona Strip Area. If this proposed monument goes ahead, the land that was included in the 2012 moratorium will be banned permanently from uranium mining. “We have 18 monuments in Arizona, more than any other state. Arizona is over 50% federal land and Mohave County is over 90%. We cannot economically afford anymore land to be taken away from us,” Johnson said.

Historically, many who grew up in Arizona know about the five C's. The Five C's are: Copper, Cattle, Cotton, Citrus and Climate. In the early years of the state, the five C's were very important for jobs. Agriculture (farming), ranching and mining jobs helped bring people here to work and play. “The uranium industry in the southwest has historically been a major economic driver for the region. Mohave County and our neighboring State of Utah could see major economic potential with environmentally sound uranium mining well outside the Grand Canyon National Park on the Arizona Strip. It is anticipated that uranium mining could bring over $29 billion in economic growth to our area,” Johnson explained.  

According to the USGS, this area contains the nation’s highest-grade uranium endowment and one third of the nation’s known uranium; enough uranium to provide power generation for the state of California for over 20 years if no other source of electricity were used according to the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). In 2012, then Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar’s, reasoning behind the withdrawal was out of concern that it could damage the region's drinking water and the park's water quality. Salazar’s own National Park Service officials contradicted those claims by saying in captured emails, they had no evidence of contamination of water and had no evidence of problems with the safe operation of the uranium mines in operation on the lands. Supervisor Johnson states, “We respect and take seriously our responsibility for protecting the Grand Canyon. Modern breccia pipe uranium mining is one of the most environmentally sound methods of mining. On average, mining can be completed in five to seven years and the lands reclaimed to a pristine state.”

Despite abundant domestic uranium supplies, as of April 2023, American nuclear utilities are continuing to import nearly 60% of the uranium used to produce electricity for U.S. citizens from Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and China. The balance comes from friendly sources in Canada, Australia and South Africa. This means that American Utilities are bankrolling Russia’s war against Ukraine. As recently as the 1990s nearly all uranium came from domestic or friendly sources. According to Johnson, the withdrawal of uranium mining from the northern Arizona Strip area harms the American people by removing between 326-375 million lbs., the equivalent electricity generating capacity for the entire state of California’s nearly 40 million people for 22.4 years.

Johnson also feels using the Antiquities Act for this designation goes against its intended purpose. “The Act was designed to protect and preserve historic and culturally significant sites, not necessarily to restrict public access or limit economic growth and development,” Johnson stated. “While opponents of uranium mining like to say that the mining is occurring near the Grand Canyon, the truth of the matter is that this new monument would take in lands that are hundreds of miles away from the actual Canyon. Furthermore, the Antiquities Act was intended to be used sparingly and with careful consideration. It was never meant to be a tool for the federal government to assert control over vast swaths of public land. While the Act does give the President broad authority to designate national monuments, it is important to remember that this authority should be used judiciously and with respect for the rights and needs of local communities,” Johnson continued.

Senator Krysten Sinema, Senator Mark Kelly and Congressman Raul Grijalva are supporting this proposal to create a National Monument. “I am very disappointed that no one from their office felt the need to contact us regarding this proposal. We have been in talks for months with the Senator’s over uranium mining, and it would have been nice to get a heads up that this was going to be proposed,” Johnson ended.

Click Here to View The Mohave County Wrap-Up - April 2023.