Rio Tinto, the world’s second largest mining company, has announced plans to double its uranium mining output over the next five years. The company has attributed the decision to rising demand for non-fossil fuels. Due to skyrocketing energy consumption, the price of uranium has jumped from $7/pound in 2000 to its current level of $110 per pound.One of the many locations threatened by the uranium boom is the world-famous Grand Canyon. In a move that is already sparking outrage and lawsuits, the US Forest Service has granted British mining company Vane Minerals permission to drill for uranium at up to 39 sites in the Kaibab National Forest as little as 3 miles from Grand Canyon National Park. The Forest Service explicitly exempted these mines from review under the National Environmental Policy Act, a move that has led several environmental groups to sue.