Pinyon Plain Mine in Coconino County, on Wednesday, Aug. 30. In 1984, Energy Fuels Nuclear Inc, proposed to recover a uranium ore deposit nine miles south of the Grand Canyon. Formerly known as Canyon Mine, Pinyon Plain mine has not mined uranium ore to this day, due to low commercial uranium prices.
This story has been updated to reflect comments from Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes.
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren has deployed Navajo Police to stop the transportation of uranium across the reservation.
“As president, I do not approve of this transport and will continue to fight to ensure our people are protected from the actions of Energy Fuels,” Nygren said in a social media post.
The Canadian Uranium Mining company Energy Fuels began mining ore in the Grand Canyon region this spring. The ore is being transported to White Mesa Mill in Utah, over the Navajo Nation.
"To me, they operated covertly to travel the Navajo Nation illegally," Nygren said in a press release. "It’s very disappointing that they did that, that they smuggled uranium across our Nation which is very inappropriate.”
With over 500 abandoned uranium mines on their lands, Navajo households still face cases of cancer and other health issues due to contamination. In response to fears of further contamination, Nygren banned the transportation of uranium ore across Navajo lands, asking President Joe Biden to do the same.
"Mr. President, we urgently request the support of the White House to address this critical issue,” Nygren and Navajo Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley wrote. “We ask you to explore all executive authorities at your disposal to halt the transportation of uranium through our lands. Furthermore, we implore you to publicly support a legislative solution that would reinforce the sovereignty of tribal nations, enabling us to enforce our laws and protect our people.”
Nygren called Tuesday’s “lack of notification” a “blatant disregard” for their tribal sovereignty.
I have deployed Navajo Police to stop the illegal transport of uranium across the reservation.
— Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren (@BuuVanNygren) July 30, 2024
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. - “I am very disappointed that uranium is being hauled across our Navajo Nation right now,” President Nygren said. “I was notified 30 minutes ago, and I have… pic.twitter.com/2HLKv2g7u8
KJZZ News previously reported that Energy Fuels President and CEO Mark Chalmers believes that notifying the public of “every shipment that is being made in and out, would take a lot of work and I think people get bored.”
The Navajo Nation Police were instructed to escort the transport vehicles off the reservation.
On Wednesday, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said, "hauling radioactive materials through rural Arizona, including across the Navajo Nation, without providing notice or transparency and without providing an emergency plan is unacceptable."
According to a press release, the uranium ore traveled through northern Arizonan rural communities, including through the ancestral lands of the Havasupai Tribe, the Navajo Nation and a portion of Hopi lands. The U.S. Forest Service was notified hours after the trucks left the mine.
At the moment, her office is researching what can be done. But in her conversation with Nygren, Navajo Nation Attorney General Ethel Branch, and Coconino County Supervisor Patrice Horstman, she was told that Energy Fuels and the mine owners "vowed to give all of the stakeholders at least a two-week notice prior to hauling of the uranium ore from the mine to a processing facility in Blanding, Utah."
Those stakeholders also claimed Coconino County asked for Energy Fuels' emergency plan several times, but were not given it as of Tuesday.
"It is also important to remember that the Navajo, Hopi, and Havasupai Nations are sovereign nations and have the right to protect the health and safety of their people," Mayes said.
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