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DAVID GREENE, HOST:
NPR's business news starts with a ban on mining.
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GREENE: A 20-year ban on new mining near the Grand Canyon is expected to be finalized today by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar. The ban would protect a million acres close to that American icon. Conservation groups are hailing the decision, but the mining industry and some Republicans say a permanent ban will hurt the nation's energy independence and also Arizona's economy.