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Agreement paves the way for uranium ore shipments through Navajo Nation

Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren speaks at a protest in Cameron opposing uranium ore transport through the reservation on Aug. 2, 2024.
Ryan Heinsius/KNAU
Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren speaks at a protest in Cameron opposing uranium ore transport through the reservation on Aug. 2, 2024.

Navajo Nation officials have agreed to allow shipments of uranium ore to again cross the reservation. It comes after tribal leaders threatened to turn back trucks hauling ore from a mine near the Grand Canyon last summer.

The company Energy Fuels says it will limit uranium ore transport to specific routes and hours of the day and won’t haul when public events or cultural celebrations are held. The company says it will also use a covering system to prevent dust from escaping the trucks and allow the Navajo Nation to inspect the loads.

“We have put in place heightened safety measures for the communities where this transport will take place,” said Stephen Etsitty, executive director of the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency. “And we have definitely received a lot more recognition of our role to do these protective measures by the company.”

Etsitty says the tribe ultimately does not have jurisdiction over parts of the haul route like U.S. Highways 89 and 160 that run through the Navajo Nation and officials are limited in what they can prevent from being transported.

As part of the settlement, Energy Fuels will also help remove 10,000 tons of uranium waste from the more than 500 abandoned uranium mines on and near the Navajo Nation. The waste was left by other companies decades ago as part of the U.S. government’s Cold War-era effort to build its nuclear arsenal.

“The Navajo Nation has suffered longstanding impacts from uranium mining conducted during the cold war era, resulting in numerous abandoned mine and mill sites on their lands,” said the company’s President and CEO Mark Chalmers. “This has understandably caused mistrust toward the U.S. government and energy companies. I am personally honored that the Navajo Nation was willing to work with us in good faith to address their concerns and ensure that uranium ore transportation through the Navajo Nation will be done safely and respectfully.”

Energy Fuels has also agreed to develop a clear emergency response procedure in case of spills and make sure drivers have additional training. The plan also contains provisions for truck escorts and blessings to be managed by the tribe.

Last summer, Energy Fuels began hauling ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine to a mill in Utah. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren tried to block the trucks and said officials were given no notice by the company. In the months since, the tribe and Energy Fuels have been in negotiations brokered by Gov. Katie Hobbs.

Some anti-uranium-mining activists on the Navajo Nation, however, did not welcome news of the agreement.

“Haul No! does not support this decision of allowing transportation through our Indigenous homelands,” said the group’s co-founder Leona Morgan. “We will continue to work toward shutting down the mine and support local work to stop the White Mesa Mill. Our peoples have incredible need and urgency for uranium cleanup. However, efforts to clean up existing United States’ radioactive wastes should never be hand-in-hand with creating more toxic waste.”

The company expects the uranium ore shipments to resume in February.

Ryan Heinsius joined the KNAU newsroom as executive producer in 2013 and was named news director and managing editor in 2024. As a reporter, he has covered a broad range of stories from local, state and tribal politics to education, economy, energy and public lands issues, and frequently interviews internationally known and regional musicians. Ryan is an Edward R. Murrow Award winner and a Public Media Journalists Association Award winner, and a frequent contributor to NPR's Morning Edition, All Things Considered and national newscast.