Here at Navajo council Resources & Development Committee’s Subcommi ttee on a Proposed agreement between the Navajo Nation and URI/Uranium Resources Inc. of Texas for URI to conduct a demonstration project involving In-Situ Uranium Mining near Church Rock, N.M. Before I go any further, please excuse all typos and grammar errors and misspelling because I’m typing as fast as I can from this meeting at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Ariz. Subcommittee member are Chairperson Leonard Tsosie and Vice Chairperson Leonard Pete.
NAVAJO DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE ROBERT TAYLOR
Delegate Tsosie u have asked for comprehensive plan and the one solution that might be the most appropriate wud b regional facilities plan but most difficult problem, always, always and worked in this area for 40 yrs. Most difficult in any hazardous waster material is finding where going to put. What need to do is have consensus and work w impacted communities and get as much consensus as possible. Think do with Draft Advisory Uranium Commission with Navajo law and Navajo perspective and advice and not decision.
L. PETE
is this uranium contamination unique?
NDOJ TAYLOR
yes. US Dept of Energy report and show 4,000 abandoned mines and we have 512 but when look at urnaium production, u will c that most came from navajo reservation so have geological concentration.
LARRY KING
How much removed? I agree that focus is not removal of abandoned uranium mines by GE and ? Families have been moved. And a year ago, they moved whole community out. Talking about atacking main waster in canyon by 2015. I asked why moving last one and wind mvoing northeast and community is northeast and recontaminate whole place so why not remove main waste then do dwellings. U will jsut do whole thing again. And wat always brot up but U.S. Environmenbtal Protection Agency Region 9 and GE. They have no choice, they have to move out.
And Pete brot up issue, if not for one Church Rock community member, this issue wud have been swept under rug and a group Churhc Rock Uranium Monitoring Project, this issue of URI-HRI wud not be here. We did air, soil and water monitoring where no uranium in chapter area and then up to area where uranium activity which was highly contaminated. If not for Mitchell Capitan, then not sitting here talking about this.
We shud not be called anti cuz we are concerned pple.
JONATHAN PERRY
We are concerned about clenup and we have information for this discussion. Also we are bringing to table that we are not opposing allottees. We respect them but we ask that they receive all information. We don’t want to see division. We want to move togethr. We want to work towards solutions. Glad talking cleanup. Right now no safe place to put hazardous material and concern of whole U.S. And like u said, we ask what leaders were thining when they allowed first uranium mining.
L. TSOSIE
There are allottees that want to enjoy fruits of land and so how say no. If want to say no then let’s buy them out. Half of my constituents are allottees.
DELEGATE DANNY SIMPSON
This meeting is illegal. I had highest repsect for u Mr. Taylor and Legislative Counsel Mariana Kahn but here u are u not advising these elected officials that this is an illegal floor.
And u, Mr. Tsosie, u always said on council floor that there is proper process. Two Acts bypassed, Uranium Protection Act and
2013 legislation advised by you, Kahn, that not properly approved by Council and didn’t go to Office of President.
L.TSOSIE
this meeting is not illegal and that is his opinion. we alrady talked about and don’t have to go thru again. there are remedieis.
