After failing to give notice to local tribes, one uranium mining company has provoked protests, public ire, and government intervention for hauling radioactive materials through reservation land.
Energy Fuels Resources vs Navajo Nation
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One uranium mining company, Energy Fuels Resources Inc. (EFRI), has been transporting uranium ore through tribal lands in Arizona. Now, leaders of the Navajo Nation are calling to halt all uranium transportation on their reservations.
Hauling Through Native Land
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Issues began on Tuesday last week when Energy Fuels trucks were spotted hauling uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain mine, near the Grand Canyon, through reservation land to a processing plant in Utah.
Tribal Police Called
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Tribal police were then deployed to stop the trucks by Navajo President Buu Nygren, but they had already left the reservation by the time the police arrived.
No Notice Given
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Nygren, as well as leaders from the Havasupai Tribe, have claimed that the mining company was meant to give both groups two weeks’ notice before uranium hauling would begin. However, they claim no notice was given.
Navajo Nation Law
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Nygren has also cited a 2012 tribal law, passed by the Navajo Nation, banning uranium transport across reservation land in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. However, the law does not cover the federal and state highways that the company uses as a hauling route.
Covert Operations
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“They operated covertly to travel (through) the Navajo Nation illegally,” Nygren told the Tucson Sentinel. “They smuggled uranium across our nation, which is very inappropriate.”
Two Tribes Unite
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Both the Navajo and Havasupai have long contested uranium transportation through tribal lands due to concerns of environmental damage and water contamination, leading to increased health risks for tribe members.
“Continuous Opposition”
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“Despite our continuous opposition, Energy Fuels Resources, Inc. has once again acted in its own self-serving interest,” Havasupai Tribe leaders said in an official statement. “By beginning to haul uranium ore on public roads, through our ancestral lands, and into the Navajo Nation.”
Accusations of Bad Faith
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“EFRI blatantly disregarded its good faith promise and notified the U.S. Forest Service hours after the haul trucks departed the mine site,” the statement continued, referring to the company’s failure to provide notice.
Executive Order Issued
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Both tribes now view the company as untrustworthy. Nygren took further action by issuing an executive order to Energy Fuels to sign an agreement with the tribe before any more radioactive materials could be transported through Navajo land.
At the State Level
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The dispute reached the state level last Friday when Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs intervened, and the company agreed to a temporary pause on transportation, during which it could address “reasonable concerns” that Nygren puts forward.
Gov. Hobbs Calls for Negotiation
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Hobbs has expressed hopes that the pause will facilitate “good faith negotiations” between Energy Fuels and the Navajo Nation, leading to an “acceptable solution.”
Meetings Rejected
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Arranging balanced negotiations between the two bodies could prove difficult. Nygren has already rejected a previous attempt by the mining company to schedule a meeting with the director of the Navajo Environmental Protection Agency.
Meetings Aren’t Happening
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The attempt was made shortly after Nygren deployed police to accost the hauling trucks, and was later refused. “No one from the Navajo Nation is going to that meeting because of the acts that they did today,” he told the Enquirer.
Attorney General Weighs In
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Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes has also condemned the company’s actions and her office is also seeking legal options to protect the health and safety of all Arizonans.
An “Unacceptable” Act
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“Hauling radioactive materials through rural Arizona, including across the Navajo Nation, without providing notice or transparency and without providing an emergency plan is unacceptable,” her office said in a statement.
A Sore Spot
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Navajo Nation has vocally opposed uranium transport through reservations for decades. It is a sore spot in the tribe’s modern history.
Pollution and Health Issues
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For 50 years, from the mid-to-late 20th century, uranium mining contributed to environmental pollution on tribal land and caused long-standing health issues for some inhabitants.
Protestors Rally
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This recent dispute has now compelled hundreds of activists from the Navajo and Havasupai tribes to rally in protest against the Pinyon Plain mine over the weekend.
Picketing Flagstaff City Hall
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Activists and leaders from both tribes joined in different locations along the 350-mile-long route that trucks use to haul uranium from the mine Blanding, Utah. Others gathered outside the city hall in Flagstaff, Arizona, holding placards with the slogans “Haul No!” and “Respect Tribal Sovereignty.”
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