Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities
** EPA proposes first Superfund site on Navajo Nation land
------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, April 4, 2023
EPA contractor and Diné College interns collecting water and sediment samples in the Cove Wash. Source: EPA.gov ([link removed])
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on its way to designating ([link removed]) an area on the Navajo Nation contaminated by previous uranium mining activities as a Superfund site, making it one of the agency's top cleanup priorities ([link removed]) .
The Lukachukai Mountains Mining District consists of more than 100 waste piles from uranium mining operations ([link removed]) that occurred from the 1940s through the 1980s. During that time, the now defunct company mined more than seven million tons of uranium ore, leaving behind a toxic legacy that poses ongoing threats to human health and the environment in the area.
For years, the leadership of the Navajo Nation has advocated for cleanup and remediation of abandoned mine sites. “This is monumental for the Navajo Nation communities of Cove, Red Valley, Lukachukai, Round Rock, and the whole Navajo Nation,” Cove Chapter President James Benally said in a statement ([link removed]) . “This will help address the legacy of abandoned uranium mine sites on our sacred mountain. We welcome it, on behalf of our grandchildren and generations to come.”
Quick hits
** Massive Yellowstone hunt kills 1,150 bison
------------------------------------------------------------
New York Times ([link removed])
** EPA proposes first Superfund site on Navajo lands
------------------------------------------------------------
E&E News ([link removed])
** The good and bad news about California's exceptional snowpack
------------------------------------------------------------
Slate ([link removed])
** Legal challenge to pause ConocoPhillips' Alaska Willow project fails
------------------------------------------------------------
Reuters ([link removed]) | Associated Press ([link removed]) | E&E News ([link removed])
** New Mexico has already seen more than 100 fires so far this year as U.S. Southwest dries up
------------------------------------------------------------
Associated Press ([link removed])
** The fight to protect Georgia's pristine Okefenokee swamp from mining impacts
------------------------------------------------------------
The Guardian ([link removed])
** Long before Denver, 50 Native American Tribes called the Front Range home
------------------------------------------------------------
Colorado Public Radio ([link removed])
** Why U.S. natural gas output keeps rising as prices sink
------------------------------------------------------------
Reuters ([link removed])
Quote of the day
” As pressure on our public lands continues to grow, the proposed Public Lands Rule provides a path for the BLM to better focus on the health of the landscape, ensuring that our decisions leave our public lands as good or better off than we found them.”
—Bureau of Land Management Director Tracy Stone-Manning ([link removed])
Picture this
** @Interior ([link removed])
------------------------------------------------------------
The Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument includes some of the most scenic and biologically diverse landscapes in northern California. The views range from rolling, oak-studded hillsides to steep creek canyons and expansive ridgelines. Photo by Anthony Southwood
============================================================
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** Medium ([link removed])
** Instagram ([link removed])
Copyright © 2023 Center for Western Priorities, All rights reserved.
You've signed up to receive Look West updates.
Center for Western Priorities
1999 Broadway
Suite 520
Denver, CO 80202
USA
** View this on the web ([link removed])
Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can ** update your preferences ([link removed])
or ** unsubscribe from this list ([link removed])
