The Navajo Nation will not agree to any further uranium mining on or near
tribal lands until the federal government cleans up radioactive contamination
left after decades of uranium mining and milling during the Cold War, the
chairman of the Resources Committee of the Navajo Council said October 23.
George Arthur was part of a panel that told the House Committee on Oversight
and Government Reform about the land and water contamination spread over the
Navajo Nation -- 27,000 square miles in Utah, Arizona and New Mexico.
Panelists recounted routine exposure, from childhood, to uranium
concentrates, and illnesses including cancer and kidney disease, which they
said resulted from the exposures. It appeared from lawmakers' statements and
questions that the committee is considering action to prompt a cleanup of the
Navajo lands.