LAS VEGAS — The Nevada Conservation League on Wednesday issued a statement supporting the announcement by Interior Department Secretary Ken Salazar that would make 1 million acres near the Grand Canyon off-limits to new uranium mining.

NCL Executive Director Scot Rutledge, speaking from Las Vegas, noted that the decision, which would become final in 30 days, protects the drinking water for millions of residents and visitors to southern Nevada and prevents industrial mining near the Grand Canyon National Park.

“This is especially good news for businesses that benefit from the millions of people that travel through southern Nevada on their way to the Grand Canyon,” Rutledge said.

The Grand Canyon National Park is a critical business engine for southern Nevada and the U.S. Southwest, the statement said, generating $700 billion annually and supporting 12,000 full-time jobs. More than 37 percent of the visitors to the Grand Canyon travel through McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas.

For more information, visit www.protectnv.org.