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Uranium mining jeopardizes well-being of Navajo Nation – News

Uranium mining jeopardizes well-being of Navajo Nation
New Mexico Daily Lobo Hunter Riley 10/21/08 The Navajo Nation has struggled for years to keep uranium mining off its lands.

However, with two leading presidential candidates now supporting the expansion of nuclear energy, American Indians may soon lose the power to decide who uses their land and its resources.

Community members considered the controversies surrounding uranium mining in the Navajo Nation last week, as guest lecturer Traci Voyles spoke about her research on the topic.
She said past uranium mining on Navajo land in New Mexico is an example of environmental racism, …………Uranium mining has negatively effected the Navajo population, Voyles said. The pueblos near Gallup and Crown Point have seen an increase in respiratory health problems and other diseases related to mining, she said.

The Navajo Nation placed a ban on uranium mining and milling on its lands in 2005, but Dina Gilio, co-chairwoman of the Native American Studies program, said the ban may be lifted if the government decides to expand nuclear energy initiatives.
Voyles said the first part of her dissertation focuses on the historical aspect of environmental racism and colonialism and the history of the federal government’s involvement in these problems. She will also investigate how native groups are facing these issues later in her project.

Uranium mining jeopardizes well-being of Navajo Nation – News

Tags: nuclear, antinuclear, radioactive, uranium

October 22, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | indigenous issues