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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is on its way to designating 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.
The Lukachukai Mountains Mining District consists of more than 100 waste piles from uranium mining operations 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. “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.”
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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.”
