The Los Angeles Times continues its series on the devastating effects of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation.
Today's installment deals with the failure of cleanup efforts. More than 1,000 abandoned mines dot the tri-state reservation but little has been done to reclaim the sites.
Much of the failure is traced to the Environmental Protection Agency. While the tribe spent its own money to seal up the mines, the agency has refused to put the sites on the Superfund list, a move that would bring federal dollars to the reservation.
The EPA, the Indian Health Service and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed health hazards from the abandoned mines. But with the mining companies lone gone, the EPA has no one to hold responsible for the damage. Only a trickle of help has come through in the last two decades.
Get the Story:Navajos' desert cleanup no more than a mirage (The Los Angeles Times 11/21)
pwday Relevant Links:
Eastern Navajo Dine Against Uranium Mining - http://www.endaum.org Related Stories:
Onondaga Nation makes big filing in land claim suit (11/20)
Navajo Nation hosts indigenous uranium summit (11/13)
Navajo Nation to allow uranium waste transport (10/25)
Navajo group opposes return of uranium mining (09/28)
Navajo Nation wins Nuclear-Free Future Award (09/28)
Judge rules on uranium mining at Navajo sites (07/27)
Mining an issue as Navajo Nation Council meets (04/20)
Nuclear panel halts uranium mining at Navajo sites (03/03)