WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – Trucks carrying uranium may soon cross Navajo roads.
Only a canvas tarp covering the payload will separate the Diné from a potential human and environmental calamity.
The Navajo Nation wants to prevent uranium from being moved over its roads within its boundaries before it happens.
“Our agencies are working diligently to address these complex issues,” said Stephen Etsitty, director of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency. “As a sovereign Nation we stand united. We have banned uranium mining and its transportation. But federal and state rights-of-ways create loopholes that make it difficult for us to truly prohibit the transportation of these dangerous materials across Navajoland.”
To minimize the threat, on April 29 Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren signed legislation to ask President Biden to halt the transport of uranium across Diné Bikeyah.
Titled, An Action Relating to an Emergency; Urgent Request to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., The White House, Members of Congress and Relevant Federal Agencies to Halt the Transportation of Uranium Through Navajo Nation Lands, the legislation asks President Biden to stop uranium shipments traversing the Navajo Nation on state and federal roads.
“Uranium exploitation has existed on our lands for nearly eight decades,” President Nygren said. “In the long list of historical traumas perpetuating the suffering of the Navajo people, we cannot forget the catastrophic impact of uranium contamination.”
On June 27, the Department of Energy issued a request for proposals to purchase low-enriched uranium from domestic sources to invest in the country’s energy security, create jobs and reduce reliance on Russian imports.
In May, however, President Biden signed a law to prohibit Russian imports of enriched uranium. It was done with the intention to cut off one of the last significant transfers of money from the United States to Russia amid the war in Ukraine.
Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm stated the RFP “is helping jumpstart uranium enrichment capacity here in the United States, which is critical to strengthening our national security and growing our domestic nuclear industry.”
She emphasized America’s commitment to remain the global leader in nuclear energy for generations to come.
Beginning in December 2023, increased demand for domestic uranium and spikes in market valuations stimulated production at the Pinyon Plain Mine. In January 2024, the price of uranium rose to more than $100 per pound. Today, it’s selling for $86.60 per pound.
The Pinyon Plain Mine was approved to operate in 1966 but began operation this year. It is located near Grand Canyon National Park and the newly-proclaimed Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni, also known as the Ancestral Footprints of Grand Canyon National Monument.
According to Energy Fuels Resources, owner of the Pinyon Plain Mine, the mine plans to send six truckloads of uranium per day to White Mesa, Utah, where it expects to process 1.57 million pounds of uranium within 28 months.
The route to White Mesa spans nearly 300 miles on local roads and state highways. It passes through cities and towns in Arizona, the Navajo Nation and Utah. These highways are primarily two-lane roads that meander through the Navajo Nation’s Four Sacred Mountains.
When shipments of uranium commence from the Pinyon Plain Mine, tourists headed for Grand Canyon National Park’s main south rim entrance will share roads with large uranium hauling trucks.
On northern end of the route is Bluff, Utah, a popular tourists hub known for San Juan River rafting. The road is used to get to either Monument Valley to the south or Moab, Utah, to the north.
“With Highway 191 being the only road through town, we are deeply concerned about the lack of transparency about the transportation plan,” said Bluff Mayor Ann Leppanen. “How can we ensure our first responders are adequately prepared and community members are safe in the event of an incident?”
# # #
