At a Glance

Per a Trump executive order, the United States Forest Service has ordered a review of regulations targeting the energy industry.The review includes a 20-year ban enacted in 2012 to study the harmful effects of uranium mining around the Grand Canyon.

The United States Forest Service has ordered a review of energy regulations, including a 20-year ban on uranium mining on public land outside Grand Canyon National Park, a move that has raised the ire of local Hopi tribal leaders and other conservationists.

The agency announced its proposed review in a report as a response to a by President Donald Trump that requires agencies like the U.S. Forest Service to eliminate restrictions on energy production.

Herman Honanie, the chairman of the Hopi tribe, told the Associated Press he's profoundly disappointed with Trump's order and the subsequent proposal by the Forest Service to review the ban put in place in 2012 by former Interior Secretary Ken Salazaar, calling the moves "indefensible."

"Hopisinon and many other Native American people suffer an ongoing legacy ofdeath bycancer, chronic health problems and radioactive contamination,," Honanie said onTuesday.

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The ban was enacted toafford scientists the time needed tostudy theeffects ofuranium mining onthe Grand Canyon watershed, which provides water to some, according to the Grand Canyon News.

“Calling this a step back ,” Rep. Tom O’Halleran, whose district includes much of the Grand Canyon, said in a statement. “The ban on uranium mining in the watershed of the Grand Canyon has improved water and land quality within tribal communities and throughout Arizona. The administration should be focused on cleaning up the hundreds of uranium mines still contaminating northern Arizona communities.”

Honanie joins other conservationists angered by the proposed review. They argue uranium mining pollutes soils, washes, aquifers and drinking water, and destroys the landscape, according to the AP.

"The holidays have come early and often for the oil, gas and mining industry ,"said Wilderness Society Forest Planning and Policy Director Vera Smith in a statement."The Forest Service’s recommendations will turn iconic places like the Grand Canyon into industrial zones and put drinking water at risk for 66 million people across the country."

The decision to review the ban is the latest in a long line of regulatory reviews in Trump's campaign to unravel President Barack Obama's environmental legacy meant to curbclimate change, the AP noted.