001
More Reading #10 Clean
by MH Noble | 0 Comments
See story from NPR's Morning Edition, May 30, 2008 that MH Noble mentions in her article:http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90959034
Recent Timeline for Uranium Mining Issues in New Mexico
2003-2005 Price of uranium begins to rise from below $20/lb. Due to rising prices, several mining companies begin to express renewed interest in bringing uranium mining back to the Southwest, including the inactive Mount Taylor mine and other former uranium mining locations in the Grants, NM area.
Apr 29, 2005 Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley signs the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act (DNRPA) of 2005 into law. The act states, "No person shall engage in uranium mining and processing on any sites within Navajo Indian Country." The ban on uranium mining is largely prompted by the horrible environmental legacy of uranium mining activities on Native lands, including the Church Rock uranium tailings spill in 1979 - the largest release of radioactive waste in US history.
Nov 1, 2006 Navajo Nation hosts the Indigenous World Uranium Summit in Window Rock, AZ. Roughly 300 delegates from 14 countries and Indigenous nations gathered for the summit. The event highlighted the 2005 Diné Natural Resources Protection Act, and called upon delegates to unite in the Navajo Nation's cause to protect their land, water and people from the impacts of uranium mining.
2007 Price of uranium spikes to a record $136/lb.
The Federal EPA conducts a "time-critical removal" of radium-contaminated soil from five residential properties near the former Church Rock uranium mine site near Gallup, NM. The remedial action is a joint effort between the Navajo Nation EPA and US EPA to address contamination from historical uranium mining and milling operations on or near reservation land. (Note: remedial action was long overdue - the site had been inactive since ~1982.) This is one example of the "Exploit and Leave" environmental legacy of the uranium industry in New Mexico.
Mar 20, 2008 In response to a petition submitted by a coalition of Native American tribes (assisted by the Sierra Club), the New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office granted Mount Taylor a one-year designation as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP). The temporary designation protects the mountain from exploratory uranium mining until mining permit applications are fully evaluated by tribal groups. Prior to the designation, state and federal agencies were not required to notify or solicit input from tribes when proposed actions on sacred lands were being evaluated.
2009 Public notices published for several proposed uranium exploration and mining operations in New Mexico, including: Rio Grande Resources to re-activate the Mount Taylor mine, Roca Honda Resources for uranium mining near San Mateo, Neutron Energy Inc. for uranium mining near Ambrosia Lake, and Laramide Resources Inc. for uranium mining on La Jara Mesa in the Mount Taylor District of Cibola National Forest. Some of the proposed actions are just outside the boundary of the Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Property designation.
Apr 28, 2009 The National Trust for Historic Places names Mount Taylor as one of the top 11 Endangered Historic Places.
May 15, 2009 New Mexico State Historic Preservation Office holds a public hearing for permanent designation of Mount Taylor as a Traditional Cultural Property. The meeting is highly contentious - 64 people registered to speak in favor of the nomination, 47 registered to speak in opposition.
Jun 5, 2009 The Cultural Properties Review Committee unanimously votes to permanently list Mount Taylor as a Traditional Cultural Property in the New Mexico State Register of Cultural Properties. The original nomination was revised to address concerns of some private land owners within the originally proposed boundaries; the Committee cites a 4:1 ratio of written comments in support of the permanent designation. The final designation protects a 344,729-acre TCP. The boundaries roughly follow those of the Cibola National Forest Mount Taylor Ranger District, an area determined by the National Park Service to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and qualified for Federal protection under the National Historic Preservation Act that addresses TCPs.
Jul 16, 2009 The Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE), a coalition of community groups affected by uranium mining and committed to renewable energy development, will host the Commemoration of the Church Rock Uranium Tailings Spill on July 16, 2009 in Church Rock, NM. The event will be held to remember and honor the Diné communities that were affected by the largest release of radioactive waste in US history, as set forth in the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act (DNRPA) of 2005.
Today, the price of uranium is roughly $50/lb.
Extensive remedial actions are still required at many inactive and abandoned uranium mining and milling sites in New Mexico.
Mining permit applications are still pending for several newly proposed uranium recovery operations, some of which are located just outside the boundary of the newly designated Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Place.
Mount Taylor is not a Federally protected place, and is still vulnerable to future uranium mining activities.
What we can do:
1. Demand clean-up of historical uranium mining and milling sites (EPA, NMED, NRC).
2. Support organizations that are working to protect Mount Taylor from uranium exploration and recovery activities (Sierra Club, National Trust for Historic Places, SRIC, NM Environmental Law Center, EDAUM, etc.).
3. Participate in the permit process for proposed uranium exploration and mining activities: submit written comments, request public hearings, attend public hearings.
4. Support research of, and investment in alternative energy sources.
Some Key Players in Mount Taylor, New Mexico Uranium Issues
Regulatory Agencies:
US Nuclear Regulatory Commission
US EPA
US Forest Service
US National Park Service (potentially, if listed on National Register of Historic Places)
Navajo Nation EPA, other tribal EPAs
NM Environment Department
NM Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources Department
NM Department of Cultural Affairs, Historic Preservation Division
Environmental & Native American Advocacy Groups:
Sierra Club
National Trust for Historic Places
New Mexico Environmental Law Center
Southwest Research Information Center (SRIC)
Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment (MASE)
Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission
Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM)
Native Tribes:
Acoma Pueblo
Hopi Tribe
Laguna Pueblo
Navajo Nation
Zuni Pueblo
Mining Companies:
Rio Grande Resources Corp. (subsidiary of General Atomics): plans to re-open Mt. Taylor Mine
Hydro Resources Inc. (subsidiary of Uranium Resources, Inc.): site near Crownpoint, NM
Roca Honda Resources LLC: proposed exploration near San Mateo, NM
Vane Minerals PLC: proposed mining near Deer Creek, Catron County, NM
Red Basin LLC: 2 proposed sites (Baca & White Mesa projects) in Catron County, NM
Neutron Energy Inc.: 2 proposed sites (Elizabeth & Marquez Canyon) near Ambrosia Lake, NM
Western Uranium Corp: proposed Treeline project near old Marquez & San Mateo mines.
Laramide Resources Inc.: exploration & proposed mining at La Jara Mesa in Cibola NF
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