Uranium mining by American corporations on the lands of the Navajo Indian tribe has always led to devastating consequences for public health, soil and water pollution, Justin Ahastin, executive director of the Washington office of the Navajo Nation reservation said.
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“From the very beginning, uranium mining has left devastating impacts on our lands, including contamination of water sources, radiation exposure and long-term health problems among our people,” he said.
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According to Ahastin, these consequences only strengthened the Indian tribe’s commitment to the priority of preserving life and the “well-being of the environment.”
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The Navajo are the largest Indian tribe in the United States, covering an area of 70 thousand square kilometers, including the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. According to the latest data, the number of officially registered Navajo representatives is approaching 400 thousand.
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In May, the American Navajo Indians opposed plans to increase uranium production in populated areas and its transportation in order to replace Russian supplies due to a ban on the import of metal from the Russian Federation.
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Earlier, American media reported about plans by American uranium producers to begin transporting uranium ore along public roads from a mine in Arizona, near the Grand Canyon, to a processing plant in southern Utah through the lands where the Navajo Indians live, as well as about mining that has already begun in Utah itself almost 10 years after the shutdown.
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US President Joe Biden in May signed a law passed by American congressmen banning the import of uranium from Russia.
