"For all of JB's geological knowledge. he was asleep at the switch with the Uranium claims. Paying fees on land undevelopable for years after the EPA claimed it off limits."

You have a mistaken impression of history. 

Back when the company acquired the Arizona Strip, exploration and development of new uranium deposits was possible.  During the Obama administration, the EPA began demanding "evidence of value" before granting drilling permits.  However, only drilling could support evidence of value.  Things were expected to change with the new administration, but public sentiment toward allowing any mining near the Grand Canyon continued to deteriorate, making that impossible, so there was no point in continuing to hold claims there.

Significantly too, and if my information is correct, there are no active uranium mines in Arizona as of this moment. It ain't worth the fight, and uranium prices are too low to make many claims viable - 24 dollars per pound.  It was very much higher years beforehand.  Given the increasing availability of alternative energy sources, I don't see uranium prices rising much if at all in the coming year.

In summary, JB was ahead of the curve not only at the Arizona Strip, but in Alaska, and at Silverbell, all lost to anti-mining activism, which I would not expect to be visited upon Cochise County, AZ.