The Navajo Nation marked the 30th anniversary of the largest uranium spill in U.S. history.

On July 16, 1979, 94 million gallons of radioactive, acidic water poured into the water system in Church Rock, New Mexico. The event galvanized tribal opposition to uranium mining.

"The American people need to be educated and reminded about the disproportionate sacrifices made by Navajos so the United States of America could win the Cold War," Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. said, the Associated Press reported.

The Environmental Protection Agency is still cleaning up the Church Rock Mine. But Shirley said a proposal to move contaminated waste to a nearby Superfund site is unacceptable.

The tribe has banned uranium mining under the Dine Natural Resources Protection Act.

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Navajos Mark 30th Anniversary of Uranium Spill (AP 7/16)

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