nuclear-news

We urge you to prioritize passage of the Uranium Exploration and Mining Accountability Act, which will ensure clean up of thousands of hazardous abandoned uranium mines throughout the United States.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, more than 15,000 AUMs and exploratory sites are located throughout the United States, posing substantial public health and environmental hazards.

No existing federal laws require clean up of these toxic abandoned sites. Most of these AUMs were established under the “General Mining Law of 1872,” that does not require reclamation or remediation. Mining companies walked away from their clean up responsibilities after decades of mining, leaving the public to bear their toxic legacy. With 75% of AUMs located on public or Tribal lands, Indigenous communities have long faced disproportionate impacts from this toxic legacy.

According to EPA data, approximately 10 million people are estimated to live within 50 miles of a recorded AUM.

Radioactive pollution from AUMs have been linked to cancer, genetic defects, and increases in mortality. There is no minimum threshold for radiation damage (no dose which is harmless), and radiation causes cancer and other organ damage, especially during fetal development and in young children.

It’s time to clean up the mines!