Two years ago, Navajo Nation officials agreed to allow the transport of uranium ore across their land.
But after the recent rollover of an empty transport truck near Black Mesa, officials say the deal could be improved.
The agreement between the company Energy Fuels Resources and the Navajo Nation prohibits uranium transport trucks from traveling during inclement weather.
But on July 21, company officials say a truck that had delivered ore to a mill in Blanding, Utah, hydroplaned and overturned following a heavy monsoon storm.
It was returning to the Pinyon Plain Mine near the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Director Stephen Etsitty says the agreement was drawn up with winter weather and icy roads in mind, not monsoon rains.
“That’s one thing that we probably have to address once we get more information from the final police reports,” Etsitty says. “In the course of the past 2 years or so of transport, there have been occasions where Energy Fuels and the Navajo Nation have agreed that there would be days where the transport would be halted because of inclement weather, but it's occurred primarily during the winter season.”
Etsitty says the Navajo EPA is in daily communication with Energy Fuels regarding ore transport.
“Every morning, we get a text message from the mine about how many trucks are coming and when we can expect them,” Etsitty says. “And that gives us an opportunity to communicate about potential inclement weather.”
Energy Fuels’ Senior Vice President for Marketing and Development Curtis Moore says they have a good working relationship with the tribe.
“Of course, inclement weather can happen any time of year,” Moore says. “And again, we've agreed to quite a few provisions in that agreement that go far above and beyond what is required under federal law.”
Moore says tribal officials have yet to approach them regarding possible revisions to the agreement.
He says they're open to further input on how truck drivers navigate the Navajo Nation by, for example, driving slower during rainy weather. But there are some existing restrictions within the agreement that could make that more challenging.
Drivers are not supposed to stop while crossing the tribe’s land and a curfew states drivers should depart the nation by 3 p.m. each weekday. Transport is prohibited on weekends.
Etsitty says, after two years of hauling, other aspects of the agreement may need adjustment.
He says road construction and maintenance along the haul route this summer have sometimes narrowed roads to a single lane and forced truck drivers to drive slower than expected.
Etsitty says that could put drivers at risk of violating the curfew through no fault of their own.
“When there's traffic delays, the curfew becomes more of a factor,” he says. “And we also want to make sure that if there's traffic delays, the drivers stay safe once they get through those, and still comport with the speed limit requirements and not try to make up time.”
