URANIUM MINING THREATS AND TRANSPORT ISSUES PANEL by LEONA MORGAN AT DINE’ CITIZENS AGAINST RUINING OUR ENVIRONEMTN 30TH ANNIVERSARY AT DILCON, ARIZ., SOUTHWEST FAIRGROUNDS.
LEONA MORGAN Brought uranium transportation through Navajo reservation and went to Navajo Department of Justice, where we were told that our of their jurisdiction so a non-issue. Disappointed. Decided to go out and inform communities. Chapters passesd resolutions. Flagstaff found out transportation route was mile through Flagstaff. City officials wanted to stop but federal government owns uranium and has jurisdiction over highways.
Few weeks, Energy Fuels which would have been transportation uranium, pulled most of its mine workers Energy Fuels then said would take other route south but need approval of right of way thru Babbit Ranches, which hasn’t happened. And the uranium they were transporting also includes uranium waste.
The next step is Radiation Uranium Monitoring training, which provides tools to communities to find out radiation levels. Scheduled training and free. Have Geiger counters.
Mt. Taylor wants to go beyond mining uranium ore. They want to produce yellow cake.
The biggest fight involved in. We call Centralized Interim STorage. And federal government created law for uranium waste and store at Yucca Mountain, which Nevada opposed. Western Shoshone are most uranium bombed Native Nation in US So they want to bring all waste to New Mexico at two interim consolidated storage sites. One proposed by Holtec and Eddy-Lea Energy Alliance is to build a high level radioactive waste dump about halfway between Carlsbad and Hobbs and less than 15 miles north of the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant to store the most highly radioactive waste ever created. New facility would store about 10,009 canisters or 173,600 metric tons of high level radioactive waste, “spent fuel” for up to 120 years.
The route proposes to use railroad which goes near and through Navajo reservation Several NM and national groups are working together to Halt Holtec. Help by attending any of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission public hearings or by sending comments to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission before the July 30 deadline.
INFORMATION: Facebook.com/HaltHoltec and NoNuclearWaste.org
