Uranium Transport Through Navajo Nation: Safety Measures and Concerns
In a bid to address community concerns, Navajo Nation officials have assured residents that the transportation of uranium through their lands has been designed with stringent safety measures. However, they emphasize that the decision to allow these shipments was not entirely within their control.
New insights were provided by Acting Attorney General Heather Clah and Navajo EPA Administrator Stephen Etsitty regarding the uranium shipments originating from the Pinyon Plain mine, located south of the Grand Canyon. These shipments are destined for processing facilities in Utah, traveling through Northern Arizona.
Safety protocols dictate that each truck will carry a maximum load of 25 tons of uranium ore. Transport is restricted to the hours between 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., ensuring that it coincides with school hours when children are indoors. Additionally, shipments will be halted during adverse weather conditions, public holidays, and significant events like the Navajo fair.
Clah expressed the complexities involved in reaching an agreement, stating, “There’s a limited that I don’t think anybody understands or appreciate that we’re under in order to make sure that we do get some sort of agreement together.”
Concerns about the potential for material spillage were also addressed. Although the transport trucks are covered with tarps, Etsitty highlighted the issue of a slight gap that could allow radioactive particles to escape. The tribe is seeking to advance technology to better detect any such emissions, a precaution not mandated by existing federal or state regulations. Etsitty remarked, “That is something that’s not even in the federal or state regulations.”
Despite fluctuations in uranium prices, Etsitty noted that the mineral retains its value, underscoring the commercial motivations of uranium companies. For the industry, the pursuit of profit remains a primary driver.
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