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Uranium mines pose first test for state-recognized Mount Taylor cultural landscape in New Mexico
State regulators are weighing how the designation could affect permits for two proposed uranium mines and whether tribes can block or reshape development.
- Uranium companies seek to operate two mines, Roca Honda and La Jara Mesa, within New Mexico's Mount Taylor, a 400,000-acre area designated as a traditional cultural property. Regulators have yet to determine how this designation impacts permitting.
- Mount Taylor holds sacred status for the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, and the pueblos of Laguna, Acoma, and Zuni. June Lorenzo told the Radioactive and Hazardous Materials Committee on Friday that tribes maintain a "millennia-long relationship" with the mountain.
- Energy Fuels, the top U.S. uranium producer, proposes using 30 acres for dewatering and ventilation shafts. David Ennis, program manager of the Mining Act Reclamation Program, said the department is partnering with the Forest Service to evaluate mitigation impacts.
- Nick Martin, environmental manager at Energy Fuels, noted the company revised plans to remove "significant disturbance" from the area. Misael Cabrera, senior vice president of regulatory affairs, explained that projects require five years to become profitable.
- Sen. Jeff Steinborn, D-Las Cruces, questioned state regulators on whether they can deny a permit based on cultural site concerns. Officials lack an answer, as the state has not permitted a uranium mine since the designation took effect.
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Associated Press News+8 Reposted by 8 other sources
Uranium mines pose first test for state-recognized Mount Taylor cultural landscape in New Mexico
For Native communities in northwest New Mexico’s Grants mineral belt, one of the central concerns with the idea of resumed uranium mining is the potential harm to Mount Taylor.
·New York, United States
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Total News Sources9
Leaning Left6Leaning Right0Center3Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Left
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources lean Left
67% Left
L 67%
C 33%
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