Roundtable addresses uranium on Navajo Nation

Friday, November 9, 2007  

Lawmakers from New Mexico, Arizona and Utah hosted a roundtable on uranium mining on the Navajo Nation in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Tribal and federal officials discussed the impacts of uranium on the reservation. Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr. said mining workers have suffered health problems and that mining sites have not been cleaned up.

Rep. Tom Udall (D-New Mexico), Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Arizona) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah) hope to draft legislation to address workers who were affected by uranium mining. Existing law doesn't protect anyone past 1971.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee is also pressing federal agencies to come up with a cleanup plan for the reservation.

Get the Story:
Navajos Fight Uranium Mines (The Albuquerque Journal 11/9)
Roundtable Adresses Effects of Uranium Mining on Navajos (AP 11/9)
Press Release: UDALL, MATHESON & RENZI HOST ROUNDTABLE ON THE PAST, PRESENT & FUTURE OF URANIUM MINING IN THE NAVAJO NATION (Rep. Udall 11/7)

Relevant Links:
Indigenous World Uranium Summit 2006 - http://www.sric.org/uraniumsummit
Eastern Navajo Dine Against Uranium Mining - http://www.endaum.org

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