Navajo Nation, miners want more federal action
http://www.cibolabeacon.com/articles/2007/10/01/news/news2.txt
GALLUP - One hundred and fifty residents of the Navajo Nation's Gallup region gathered to hear the Nuclear Regulatory Commission explain in detail the procedures for commenting on the Generic Environmental Impact Statement (GEIS) for new uranium mining.
Slide after slide was presented to the crowd listing regulations, licensing, inspection and enforcement procedures. Further data on the in-situ leach process (ISL) describing subsurface injection recovery, surface processing, restoration and preoperative standards, along with safety procedures for workers, were slowly explained in English and Navajo.
The meeting was held at the Best Western Hotel in Gallup last week, hosted by the NRC.
The Navajo Nation has passed a ban on all uranium mining and milling on its property.
Francis Cameron, legal adviser for the NRC, stated the tribal ban had not yet been tested. He said the law needed closer scrutiny to see if the NRC could respect it.
Some tribal members objected to the ban, stating it interfered with their rights to use their land as they saw fit. Danny Charley, an allotee from near Crownpoint, claimed the land leases could provide large cash royalties, and that needed jobs would benefit the region.
After a history of the Navajo Nation's attempts to have the sites and mills cleaned up to pre-contamination conditions, the audience expressed frustration with too many words and not enough effective action.
Joe Murietta, mayor of the City of Grants, reminded the group that his administration had come out in full support of the uranium industry, that citizens understood the industry and realize an alternative fuel source is needed to lessen U.S. dependence on foreign fuels. Cibola County and the Village of Milan also have passed resolutions supporting the industry.
An NRC spokesman said the generic status of the reports would include several states' clean ups and not be “case specific”. An unidentified participant reminded the crowd that his interest was not to allow the government to gloss over site-specific issues. Navajo land issues were not the same as Wyoming's, he said
George Byers, vice president of public affairs with Neutron Energy Inc., talked of his company's uranium development in the Seboyeta area and reassured the audience that royalties would be paid to the land grant and scholarship programs, already being put together for the locals of that area. The mine would use the conventional method of operation, he added.
Art Gebeau, an industry veteran, told the group that the Homestake Mining Company's clean-up efforts of groundwater had spread the contamination. He insisted the industry focus on clean up before any new mining could begin.
Larry J. King, of Churchrock, shared his opposition to any new mining because contamination remains from the last mining effort. He challenged the government representatives with the idea of them speeding up the licensing process to make their lives easier. He suggested they must consider each region separately. He reminded the group that more than a third of the people had uranium mining related illness and there were still more than 1,000 sites not cleaned up. He stressed that many Dines still practiced the “old ways”, the traditional values of a belief in the Mother Earth, the sacred water and the plants.
A representative of Rep. Tom Udall's (D-NM) office read a statement: “With a troubled history with the Navajo Nation, economic benefit was promised to the people but they didn't mention the health effects. Navajo people filed suit, an act was passed by the older Mr. Udall. . . The federal government still hasn't paid total compensation agreed upon. . . Brutal reminders of the approval process of the federal government, compromised water supply. . . they must assure local communities to protect the water. . . Poisoning some of the most beautiful land in the nation, I urge you to be cautious.”
The commission is accepting comments until Oct.31. The website is URLGEIS@nrc.gov (Please refer to “Uranium Recovery GEIS).
By Janis Derrick
Beacon staff writer
Gregor Gable
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