PHOENIX — A uranium producer has agreed to temporarily halt transportation of the mineral through the Navajo Nation after the tribe raised concerns about the potential impact on the reservation.
Gov. Katie Hobbs said Friday she intervened this week after a conversation with Navajo President Buu Nygren, who had devised a plan to test a tribal law that bans the transportation of uranium on their territory.
Energy Fuels began hauling the ore from its mine south of Grand Canyon National Park to a processing facility in Blanding, Utah, on Tuesday. When Nygren learned of the incident, he ordered tribal police to pull over the trucks and prevent them from moving. But by the time police arrived, the trucks had already left the reservation.
Energy Fuels said in a statement Friday that it had agreed to a temporary pause “to address all reasonable concerns” raised by Nygren. It recently began mining at the Pinyon Plain Mine in northern Arizona for the first time since the 1980s, driven by higher uranium prices and global instability. No other location is actively mining uranium in Arizona.
“While Energy Fuels can legally resume transportation at any time, under current licenses, permits and federal law, the company understands and respects President Nygren’s concerns for his people and wants to assure them that the company is in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations,” the company said. “The U.S. has adopted the highest international standards for the transportation of such materials, which are designed to protect human health and the environment.”
Energy Fuels is not legally required to provide advance notice. But the Navajo Nation, the U.S. Forest Service, county officials and others say the company verbally agreed to do so — then reneged on Tuesday.
The Navajo Nation said it wanted to make sure it had time to coordinate emergency plans and other notifications before the transport began. Energy Fuels said it notified federal, state and tribal officials about two weeks ago that the transport was imminent and outlined legal requirements, safety and emergency response.
The tribe did not expect removals to begin for another month, based on months of discussions with Energy Fuels.
Hobbs said the pause in ore transportation will allow the company and the tribe to “conduct negotiations in good faith.”
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes also said her office is exploring legal options “to protect the health and safety of all Arizonans.”
The tribe passed a law in 2012 banning the transportation of uranium on the reservation, which stretches into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. But the law exempts state and federal highways that Energy Fuels has designated as transportation routes.
Mining during World War II and the Cold War left a legacy of death, disease and contagion on the Navajo Nation and in other communities across the country. The Havasupai Tribe is one of the tribes and environmental activists which raised concerns about possible water contamination.
