be conducted in
several phases - will allow unrestricted surface use of the
mine site for grazing and housing.
New Mexico environment
secretary David Martin said, "Consolidating the waste into
one repository will return the land to the Navajo Nation for
their traditional use." He added, "The cleanup will also
ensure long-term stewardship to protect public health and
the environment."
Ben Shelly, president of the
Navajo Nation, commented: "A perfect remedy is difficult to
design, and in this case every stakeholder can be proud of
their input into the remedy. I look forward to the cleanup
and putting people to work restoring our lands."
The Navajo Nation is a
semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering
over 27,000 square miles (71,000 km2), occupying all of
north-eastern Arizona, the south-eastern portion of Utah,
and north-western New Mexico. It is the largest land area
assigned primarily to a Native American jurisdiction within
the USA.
Between 1944 and 1986,
nearly four million tonnes of uranium ore were mined from
Navajo land under leases with the Navajo Nation. Over 500
abandoned uranium mines now exist on the land. Since 1994,
the EPA's Superfund Program has provided technical
assistance and funding to assess potentially contaminated
sites and develop a response. At the request of the US House
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, in October
2007 the EPA developed a coordinated five-year plan to
address uranium contamination in consultation with Navajo
Nation EPA.
Researched and written by
World Nuclear News
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