ML22160A594
| ML22160A594 | |
| Person / Time | |
|---|---|
| Issue date: | 04/22/2022 |
| From: | NRC/SECY |
| To: | |
| Shared Package | |
| ML22105A099 | List: |
| References | |
| M220422 | |
| Download: ML22160A594 (74) | |
Text
1 UNITED STATES NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION
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MEETING WITH NAVAJO MEMBERS OF THE RED WATER POND ROAD COMMUNITY
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FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022
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The Commission met at the Shade House, located on Red Water Pond Road, Gallup, New Mexico, at 2:00 p.m. MDT.
COMMISSION MEMBERS:
CHRISTOPHER T. HANSON, Chairman JEFF BARAN, Commissioner DAVID A. WRIGHT, Commissioner ALSO PRESENT:
JONATHAN NEZ, President of the Navajo Nation EDITH HOOD, Red Water Pond Road Community Association VALINDA SHIRLEY, Executive Director, Navajo Nation EPA
2 PROCEEDINGS 2:01 p.m. MDT 1 MR. LYNCH: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. My 2 name is Merv Lynch, and I'm going to ask everyone to give me your ears for 3 a few minutes, as we do some opening of the meeting right now.
4 The front row seats are specifically designated for 5 Committee members.
6 Red Water Pond Community members, please take your 7 seats at the front.
8 (Translation of Native language spoken: Come, Come up.)
9 Again, we do have some public health orders in place on 10 Navajo Nation. All of you are required to wear a mask while inside of this 11 facility and remain a good six feet apart, if possible. It is okay if families of 12 the same household are allowed to group together in certain spots, wherever 13 you are at.
14 So, the weather is delightful here today, and we are 15 welcoming all of you here. Thank you for coming and participating today.
16 And again, if the Red Water Pond Road Community 17 members could come to the front of the room and occupy these front row 18 seats?
19 We had asked that guests, non-community members, kind 20 of take up positions on the outer perimeter.
21 So, we're welcoming the Nuclear Regulatory 22 Commissioners here today. And, you know, keeping with Navajo customs, 23 we're going to open up with a prayer. And the prayer will be offered by one 24 of our local dignitaries, Mr. Jonathan Perry.
3 1 MR. PERRY: Good afternoon, everyone.
2 (Translation of Native language spoken: Greetings.)
3 And if everyone can please bring your attention to the 4 program up front, please? We're going to get started here.
5 Visitors, please, everyone, pay attention in this location.
6 We are on a scheduled timeframe. We have the community members that 7 wish to have time to speak later on. So, we would like to give them that time.
8 Please be courteous, as visitors to Red Water Pond Community.
9 (Translation of Native language spoken: Greetings my 10 relative and my people for inviting me here and Im Jonathan Perry, from 11 Crownpoint, (NM) Im of the Bittewater born for the Toaheedl7inii.)
12 We'll go ahead and begin our program with a prayer.
13 Everyone, if you can please remove your hats and your 14 caps, please, for the prayer?
15 (Traditional Navajo Prayer opening: Not translated out of 16 respect) 17 We do have visitors here. Lord, we ask you to be with our 18 members here, as we discuss important issues regarding our homeland here.
19 We ask for the blessing, for you to be with us, as we have our important 20 discussions here. We ask you to be with our visitors who have made time to 21 be with us here today as well.
22 We ask you to allow us the strength and knowledge that we 23 need to have these discussions. We ask you to be with each and every one 24 of our community members and everyone here and those on the way.
25 We ask you to give us the understanding we need to have 26 and fulfill a good day before us. We ask you to calm these winds, Lord. We
4 1 ask you to grant us this opportunity to make this space because this is our 2 Mother Earth, Lord.
3 We ask you to go forth and be with this discussion we're 4 planning on today.
5 We ask for these blessings from the East, from the South, 6 from the West, and from the North, from our sacred mountains.
7 (Translation of Native language spoken: Mount Blanca, 8 Mount Taylor, San Francisco Peaks, Mount Hesperus.)
9 We ask for beauty around us. We ask for beauty before 10 us.
11 Lord, we ask for all these things, and we pray for those who 12 (audio interference).
13 (Translation of Native language spoken: In Harmony it is 14 finished; repeated 3 more times.)
15 With that, visitors, I guess you can take your seats here.
16 And we understand, with the weather, it's hard to get 17 everyone to hear what we're saying, but, please keep your attention to this 18 location for our program and our visitors and our speakers here today.
19 Thank you.
20 MR. LYNCH: (Translation of Native language spoken:
21 Thank you, Mr. Perry.)
22 Moving along, we are seating everyone at the front of the 23 room. These are the Commissioners of the United States Nuclear 24 Regulatory Commission: Chairman Christopher T. Hanson, Commissioner 25 Jeff Baran, and Commissioner David A. Wright.
26 Continuing on with some other housekeeping matters,
5 1 Navajo Speakers, please see Ms. Joanne Many-Goats here on the stage in 2 the back. We have 30 transmitters to assist Navajo speakers with translation 3 today. So, please make use of the service which has been furnished by the 4 Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
5 We are very fortunate today to have some toilets onsite.
6 The closest toilet, if we didn't have one, would be at the Fire Rock Casino, 7 some 20 minutes away. And the toilets were furnished by the vendor C&E 8 Toilets. The delivery man's name was Jesus. So, we've got to say, "Thank 9 you, Jesus." today.
10 (Laughter.)
11 And the weather's not going to improve. I did read the 12 weather announcement today, and it said that it may blow up until 3:15, God 13 willing.
14 And there's water and refreshments in the back of the room.
15 Please help yourself.
16 Don't mind Blue Eyes, the dog. He's one of the community 17 members, too.
18 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: (Translation of Native language 19 spoken: Greetings. Good morning, yes, its past the noon hours.
20 Greetings to all my relatives. Im Valinda Shirley, [Identifies her traditional 21 Navajo clans] Im from Rock Point, AZ. My relatives, greetings, and thank 22 you for coming out to this meeting. Im the Executive Director for Navajo 23 EPA. Im very thankful for all of you coming out to this meeting; our agenda 24 today is here, theres much to cover on the agenda.)
25 The Commissioners, the Nuclear Regulatory 26 Commissioners, go ahead and introduce themselves at this time.
6 1 CHAIRMAN HANSON: Thank you, Director Shirley.
2 My name is Chris Hanson. Im the Chair of the U.S.
3 Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
4 Id like to thank Director Shirley and President Nez, Ms.
5 Hood, and all the other members of the Red Water Pond Community for 6 having us here today.
7 We recognize the importance to the community and to the 8 Navajo Nation of this interagency federal issue thats in front of us with regard 9 to the Northeast Church Rock Mine and Mill Site. I think, as a Commission, 10 we recognize the importance, the vitalness of the government-to-government 11 relationship that we have with the Navajo Nation.
12 As we discuss today, we want to recognize the long history 13 that the Navajo Nation has here in this country and in this space, on this land, 14 and the significance, environmental and human tragedy of uranium milling and 15 mining thats occurred here over the decades.
16 We wanted to come out and hear directly from people in the 17 community about the issues facing us at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
18 And I want to thank, again, everyone for welcoming us to your home. We 19 look forward to hearing your stories and your concerns.
20 And thank you very much.
21 COMMISSIONER BARAN: Hi. My name is Jeff Baran.
22 Im one of the Commissioners at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
23 Thank you for hosting us today at the Shade House. Its 24 an honor to be here with President Nez and Valinda Shirley, and to spend time 25 with the Red Water Pond Road Community.
26 The uranium contamination in and around the Navajo
7 1 Nation is a tragedy. It should never have happened.
2 I started working on these issues in 2007, as a staffer for 3 Congressman Henry Waxman, who at the time chaired a House oversight 4 committee. After he held a hearing on the contamination, the federal 5 government finally started to take some coordinated action. Of course, there 6 is still a huge amount of work to do.
7 I had the chance to meet Edith Hood at that time. Larry 8 King also testified, along with Phil Harrison from Red Valley, and Ray Many-9 Goats from Tuba City. Stephen Etsitty represented the Navajo Nation EPA.
10 The testimony, the stories were so powerful. Ive seen 11 dozens and dozens of congressional hearings over the years, and Ive never 12 seen anything like the reaction I saw that day. Members of Congress were 13 angry, sad, and ashamed of the federal governments failures, and I felt the 14 same way.
15 Today, were here to listen to you. We want to hear your 16 concerns, your stories, your views, your ideas. Thank you for taking the time 17 to meet with us. We appreciate it.
18 COMMISSIONER WRIGHT: Good afternoon.
19 My name is David Wright, and Im one of the 20 Commissioners.
21 And I want to thank you personally for your hospitality and 22 welcoming us here to your home.
23 We are here, as youve heard, to listen to you. Id like to 24 hear all of your stories. Ill be here as long as I need to be here with you.
25 Were not in a rush.
26 So, hopefully, well get some good outcomes from this. I
8 1 really want to learn about what has been going on out here for all these years.
2 Im new to the system, new to the process. So, for me, this is very 3 educational, and I really appreciate it.
4 MS. HOOD: Good afternoon, everyone.
5 Were here with the NRC. You can go ahead and ask them 6 questions in a few minutes.
7 But we, as Red Water Pond, finally organized back in 2007 8 because of all the contamination and stuff that the mining people left behind, 9 and its affected Mother Earth. Its affected human health. And I always 10 think that people died probably never knowing what it was that did that to them.
11 But Im glad that you all are all here to listen to us again.
12 And were just asking for, you know, the basic human right to have a clean 13 home, clean environment, clean water, clean air. Thats what were asking 14 for.
15 But, somehow, the dollars get in there, and theyll tell you, 16 We cant do that. Its too much money. So, so far, were still fighting 17 against with the Navajo agencies, the federal government. Thats what were 18 doing.
19 So, thank you very much.
20 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: And I wanted to also introduce to 21 you Ms. Seraphina Nez. Here on the Navajo Nation, we have a Uranium 22 Remediation Advisory Commission, and then, shes a member of that 23 Commission.
24 Do you want to introduce yourself?
25 MS. B. NEZ: (Translation of Native language spoken:
26 Greetings, Im Seraphina Nez [Identifies her traditional Navajo clans], Im from
9 1 Black Mesa, AZ. We serve on the Commission; weve yet to be re-appointed; 2 however, were still advocating on behalf of our people. Im very 3 compassionate about my work. Im empathic about your issues and 4 concerns as a member of the Uranium Commission from the central agency.)
5 And my mother is a grassroot organizer, and she's still 6 pushing the effort to have some cleanup done because it's taken eight of her 7 children, as well as her husband and her father. So, that tells me that I've 8 been in the shoes of what the community are going through as well. So, I 9 still speak for my people. I speak on behalf of my people because I have 10 been exposed to it myself as well.
11 And thank you.
12 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: And then, Edith, is there anybody 13 else?
14 MS. HOOD: Maybe our lawyer, Eric Jantz.
15 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: Eric, would you like to say a few 16 words, too?
17 MR. JANTZ: (Translation of Native language spoken:
18 Greetings.)
19 Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Eric Jantz. I am 20 the Senior Staff Attorney at the New Mexico Environmental Law Center.
21 I have worked with the Red Water Pond Road Community 22 since 2011, and I've worked with other communities here in Church Rock and 23 throughout the Eastern Navajo Agency for over 20 years. And I'd like to 24 share some of my observations with you over these last 20 years.
25 So, clean air, clean water, clean land, and cultural 26 expression, as Edith said, are human rights. And these are rights that are
10 1 embodied in international treaties that the United States has duly signed and 2 ratified. The principles also manifest themselves in the domestic law, civil 3 rights law, and in treaties with individual sovereign Indian nations, tribal 4 nations.
5 The NRC, though, over the course of its history, has 6 routinely violated these rights and continues to do so. In the context of 7 historic waste, we see the results of NRC's human rights abuses right here in 8 the Red Water Pond Road Community. The UNC Mill Site just down the road 9 is the locus of the worst nuclear disaster in the U.S. history, and it still hasn't 10 been cleaned up.
11 Shuffling uranium waste around within the community is no 12 remedy for the human rights violations that have happened over the years.
13 NRC's permissive treatment of licensees is the foundation of the NRC's 14 human rights abuses in this context.
15 So, for example, freely granting ACLs, Alternative 16 Concentration Levels, to licensees -- and I'm unaware of any time in which the 17 NRC has refused ACLs, has denied ACLs -- is an example of how the Nuclear 18 Regulatory Commission consigns communities like Red Water Pond Road 19 across Indian Country to groundwater sacrifices.
20 Secondly, allowing licensees to put up a fence, and then, 21 walk away -- again, consigning communities like this to a lifetime of 22 contamination.
23 Requiring meaningful and front-line community-driven 24 cleanup is critical to remedying the human rights associated with historic 25 uranium mining and processing.
26 So, listen to and believe the community when they talk to
11 1 you. Their expertise is unlike the expertise of anybody else. Living for 2 generations in communities that are impacted by uranium development grants 3 a particular privilege of expertise to the folks who live there.
4 Secondly, ACLs should be the exception, as intended, 5 rather the rule. And more locally, we ask that you put the UNC license 6 amendment process on hold and consult with tribal, state, and federal 7 governments, and front-line communities to evaluate the viability of a regional 8 uranium waste repository.
9 In the context of new uranium mining, despite 10 BIPOC -- Black, Indigenous, and People of Color -- communities being 11 overburdened with historic uranium waste, the NRC continues to license new 12 projects, especially ISL projects, in those communities -- continuing the record 13 of human rights violation.
14 The NRC knows -- and we know you know because 15 everybody else knows -- that no ISL operation in the history of the United 16 States has ever restored groundwater to pre-mining conditions. As a result, 17 again, NRC is actively inviting widespread groundwater sacrifice zones.
18 To remedy these violations of human rights, the NRC should 19 implement a policy of free, prior, and informed consent consistent with 20 international law and norms for any new uranium operations in BIPOC 21 communities.
22 Secondly, the NRC should tie its environmental justice 23 reviews to the Atomic Energy Act's health and safety provisions, rather than 24 NEPA.
25 And finally, the NRC should discontinue issuing licenses for 26 new operations, and particularly ISL operations, in overburdened and
12 1 impacted communities. So, in other words, no startup 'til cleanup.
2 Thank you very much for this opportunity.
3 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: And then, just a housekeeping 4 item. When you're going to speak, so if we're going to talk, we're going to 5 use -- if we could hold it here, that would be good.
6 (Translation of Native language spoken: They cannot hear 7 you way in the back of the room.)
8 So, if we could hold it here, and then hold the microphone 9 here.
10 I do want to ask Mr. Yazzie with the Navajo EPA to introduce 11 himself, and then, introduce some of our staff here today, because they were 12 certainly integral in getting all of this together.
13 MR. YAZZIE: (Translation of Native language spoken:
14 Greetings to all of you and thank you my granddaughter for coming here and 15 advocating on our behalf [identifies his traditional Navajo clans]. To establish 16 a relationship and kinship among the people here, I am from Monument 17 Valley. That's where I was raised. I am from the Red Mesa area. That's 18 where my mother is from.)
19 Thank you. Welcome. Thank you for the opportunity to 20 bring the community together and thank you for coming to Navajo and hearing 21 what we feel is just way overdue.
22 The overall story here is 80 years of impacts on Navajo, not 23 just here, but across Navajo lands. And these stories resonate to the very 24 core of who we are -- to identifying our cultural values and knowing that we've 25 compromised them because of what oftentimes will get called "Navajo waste."
26 It's not Navajo waste. We didn't ask for it. We didn't approve it. We
13 1 definitely didn't benefit from it. So, it's something that needs to be addressed 2 and as we move forward each day 3 We're out here today and I'm glad we don't have air samples 4 going because that might scare some people. But the reality is this: we 5 talked about this event being a history-making event. The history has been 6 being made here for all of these years with the families being exposed. This 7 is what they live in.
8 Prior to any running water, any facilities/resources being 9 made available to them, they were hauling their water, and they would be in 10 open containers. And guess what? You're sitting there with a little bit of 11 dust on you; everything had dust on it. Where does that dust come from?
12 Right behind us.
13 I can't say enough to the importance of what this event 14 is -- to hear Navajo people out; to hear their concerns out; to understand, as 15 Mr. Jantz had shared, there's more that can be done.
16 Oftentimes, as the bureaucratic decisionmakers will look at 17 things, it's always from one perspective: from the perspective of what's 18 written in text. How about the other side? How about the human side?
19 We've talked about and heard about human rights.
20 I thank you for coming. I really want to know and 21 understand that, when I walk away today, that we were able to do something 22 historical, and that historical event was NRC Commissioners coming to 23 Navajo to hear the true history of what exists here and why it exists. And 24 hopefully, go back, and then, come back with an answer that says, "You know 25 what? We have an answer, a truly historical answer that will help you, 26 Navajo." That's what we expect.
14 1 To my leadership that's here, thank you. Thank you to the 2 other members of leadership that's here.
3 My family from Red Water Pond Road, thank you for hosting 4 us (Translation of Native language spoken: Thank you.) for opening your 5 home and your hearts to us, to allow us to talk, to allow us to understand what 6 we've not captured in previous years to ensure that people understand what 7 these impacts are.
8 It goes beyond just knowing that there's dirt back here.
9 What does it mean? What has it done?
10 I've got staff here from Navajo Nation EPA Superfund 11 who've been actively participating in putting this event together with the Red 12 Water Pond Road Community. If I could, if they would come up and just join 13 me real quick, I'd like to introduce them.
14 I've got my RPN, LeeAnna Martinez-Silversmith. I'm got 15 Vivian Craig. We also have Merv Lynch, who has been an active participant 16 who's really spearheaded helping us make this event happen. I'm not sure 17 where he's at, but he was the one that introduced himself first.
18 We also have Darlene Jenkins. Where are you at, though?
19 She's way back there. Jump up and down, Darlene.
20 We also have Shelby Daisy, who's an RPN with Navajo 21 EPA. More than anything, thank you all, family, for being here.
22 (Translation of Native language spoken: Dont be shy, tell 23 your story. Don't be shy. Come on and tell your stories and tell your 24 concerns. Don't be hesitant. Tell the story to these coming. You can cry.
25 You can show your emotions about it.
26 This uranium mining and abandoned uranium mine has
15 1 affected our health. It's serious. That's how serious it is.)
2 I include my comments to not be shy and not be afraid to 3 share their stories because the impacts are very real; they're very deep; 4 they're very emotional.
5 I come from an area where the same issues that exist here 6 are what impacts my family. And we're impacted by the efforts in Cane 7 Valley. My paternal grandfather, Luke Yazzie, Sr., was credited with finding 8 the ore that brought the mining industry to our community. I grew up with 9 mine tailings a quarter of a mile from my home. I played in it. It was like 10 beach sand. Monsoon seasons, I was up there covering myself, thinking that 11 I was at the beach. Did I know there was a hazard associated with it? No.
12 In the summertime, we would herd our sheep up towards the mines.
13 I don't know if you've ever had cool water from a mine site.
14 It's delicious. But did I know that I was exposing myself internally to 15 radionuclides? No, I didn't.
16 So, at the age of 23, I came home from the military. I 17 absolutely loved being a soldier, an airborne medic. And I had to come home 18 because I had a skull tumor, and that was my first bout with cancer. I'm 19 fighting it right now.
20 Listen, please. That's all I ask. Help with a solution. We 21 can't afford excuses. We can't afford copouts and put it on somebody else.
22 It is very personal to all of us.
23 Thank you.
24 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: Thank you, Mr. Yazzie.
25 (Translation of Native language spoken. Thank you, my 26 relatives, and my leadership.)
16 1 The president is running a little behind schedule so.
2 (Translation of Native language spoken: Well start our program. Our first 3 speaker is Mr. Bell.) Mr. Bell. I have Peterson Bell. Sorry.
4 MR. P. BELL: (Translation of Native language spoken:
5 Greetings, Im Peterson Bell.)
6 My name is Peterson Bell. I'm from Red Water Pond 7 Road. I live here.
8 I say this uranium waste is here for about 80 years now, 9 since 1970 -- well, 1974; 1980 is when they abandoned the mine.
10 From there, we tried to let these people clean it right there.
11 They haven't done it yet.
12 In 2006 and 2007, when we organized the Red Water Pond 13 Organization, I thought EPA was going to come and help us out here, but they 14 haven't done it yet. It's still here.
15 So, how long are we going to do this? It's a hard freaking 16 story for us, for all of us.
17 For me, I worked in the mine. I worked for these guys.
18 So, that's where I'm at now. My health is in decline. Everything about me, 19 it just accumulates.
20 And how long are we going to do this? How long are we 21 going to say, "Please help us." But you've got to do it now before all of us 22 are gone. You know, for me, I'm over 60, and most of us are in our sixties 23 now. All of us here need help. I know you look at us like we're healthy 24 people, but we're not. Our life is in bad shape with cancer, diabetes, and 25 everything else.
26 So, when you say you're going to clean up, the EPA and the
17 1 NRC, you guys have got to help us get that done. If you don't want to take it 2 off the reservation, just put it over there and cap it. Cap it so tight that it 3 doesn't leak. The bottom site should be looked at, too. Triple it. This wind, 4 like now, this is the way it is every day when it's in March. So, even during 5 the winters are like that. Even summer, the rain, it floods out.
6 So, Commissioners, do your part in cleaning up. You have 7 seen what we are today and yesterday. I know you were here yesterday.
8 So, sometimes it hurts so much that I don't want to talk. So 9 many times people have come around and said, "Let me interview you. We'll 10 let your story out." But it don't; we never came out. What did they know?
11 They just get paid; we don't.
12 So, please do your part and clean up. That's all I wanted 13 to say to you, Commissioners. That's all I wanted to say right now.
14 So, thank you.
15 MS. BENALLY: (Translation of Native language spoken:
16 Greetings, Im Annie Benally. I'm from here. I was raised here. And from 17 here, I grew up.
18 Also, maybe I was 12 years old, maybe. They started 19 drilling. They didn't even tell us that they were going to do so. They told us 20 not to bother. They said, "Don't bother." They just tell us, "Don't bother."
21 They didn't say it was dangerous. Didn't even tell us that it was going to 22 affect our health.
23 Today, we've been exposed to it. And we made the house, 24 our homes of it. And so now, they're telling us it's dangerous. That is not 25 right.)
26 Okay. Thank you for coming. There are things I have to
18 1 say to you.
2 My name is Annie Benally, and what I just said was I was 3 12 years old when the mine drilling rigs came in. We were never told to stay 4 away from the mud holes. We were never told not to play in them. We were 5 never told it was going to be danger to your system, your bodies, all these 6 years.
7 Because, us, as Native American, this is our sacred -- we 8 treasure our bodies. And we pray this way every day. I live back here. So, 9 this pile of uranium here, I pray to that every morning while the sacred 10 mountain is over there. And I go back this way. There's another one right 11 there.
12 So, this is not right. It brings anger because I am 64 years 13 old now. When they first came, I was only 12.
14 And how long are we going to stand here and plead and cry 15 and make you understand? You're lucky you're only here one day; that you 16 get to go home. Now make sure you save the dust, so you can always 17 remember where it came from.
18 You want no washing here? Keep it up. Put it 19 somewhere sacred. Oh, yeah, this is where the sacred people are from.
20 This is the sacred dirt. I'm not trying to be sarcastic, but that's way it is with 21 us here every day.
22 And everybody, I appreciate you all coming and being here 23 in this crazy weather with us. But this is us -- wind, rain, shine, everything, 24 that's us. We make it work, even if the weather is this bad.
25 And thank you, Darrell, everybody.
26 (Translation of Native language spoken: Thank you,
19 1 everybody. Thank you, my mother, for blowing in. (teasing her)).
2 And you came with the wind.
3 COMMISSIONER BARAN: Can you talk to us a little bit 4 about the uranium tailings pile here? And I know at some point EPA did 5 some work. What's the status now? Do you feel like there's been progress 6 at all or has nothing changed?
7 MS. BENALLY: Okay. The cleanup was just a bandage.
8 They just wanted to make us feel that we were safe again. But, as you see, 9 the wind's carrying it back over our heads again. This is like this every day.
10 They say it's clean; it's okay. But we have more piles back there, and it is 11 blowing this way. You see the wind's going this way.
12 So, it's back to normal. We're back to what uranium does 13 again -- breathing it in, everything in. So, you're in luck and you can take off 14 every mask, so you can breathe the uranium.
15 Anything else? Did I answer your question? Okay.
16 Okay. Thank you.
17 MS. HOOD: Larry?
18 MR. KING: Good afternoon.
19 I'll be talking mostly about Section 17; 17 is where I live.
20 And it's back about three miles down the road. You went through Section 17 21 when you crossed a big Puerco wash bridge and a big metal building. And 22 on the opposite side of the highway, where that big metal building, in that flat 23 area, that's where I reside with my sisters.
24 Hello. My name is Larry King, and I still live on Section 17, 25 along with my sisters and their families, in the midst of a waste dump.
26 Growing up, we hauled water for domestic use from a
20 1 windmill that was located behind the old Church Rock Mine, lots owned by 2 Phillips Petroleum Company, then UNC.
3 Access to the windmill required driving through the mine 4 area, past the head frames, stockpiles of mine waste, new and discarded 5 mining materials, and equipment, to get to our water source.
6 As a youngster in the early '60s, I herded sheep around the 7 mine site, within the mine site, and played in the mine waste piles. No 8 security measures were in place around the mine site to ensure the safety of 9 the people coming in through the mine area to haul water for themselves.
10 Currently, the area is still an abandoned mine site with no cleanup plans on 11 the horizon.
12 About half a mile south of my residence is the Puerco wash, 13 also crossing through Section 17, the tributary that carried the largest uranium 14 tailings spill in U.S. history on July 16th, 1979, 14 weeks after the nuclear 15 accident at Three Mile Island. The dam burst sent over 1100 tons of 16 radioactive mill waste and over 94 million gallons of contaminated liquid 17 flowing towards Arizona.
18 Except for the bomb test, Church Rock was probably the 19 biggest single release of radioactive poisons on American soil. Ironically, it 20 occurred 34 years to the day after the first atomic test explosion at the Trinity 21 site near Tularosa, New Mexico.
22 The old Church Rock Mine is now occupied by HRI. In 23 1998, the NRC approved license SUA-1580, which allows HRI to build and 24 operate a uranium ISL mine there.
25 In 2003, with the help of outside organizations and 26 agencies, Church Rock Chapter started the Church Rock Uranium Monitoring
21 1 Project, which revealed how contaminated my community was, beginning 2 from where I currently reside, along State Road 566 through the end of the 3 pavement, just right where you got off the pavement up here. And it included 4 Red Water Pond Community.
5 In 2005, NRC decided that the company didn't have to clean 6 up the mess at this site because the radioactive waste left behind by UNC are 7 now part of background.
8 ISL mining is not new technology. It has been used for 9 over 50 years. It threatens long-term contamination of our precious and good 10 quality groundwater. The ISL industry has an extensive record of excursions, 11 which have proven difficult to contain and clean up. Restoration of 12 groundwater to pre-mining water quality conditions has never been achieved.
13 HRI's Crownpoint ISL Project is unprecedented, per NRC's 14 own statement in 2007 because:
15 No. 1, it is planned in an aquifer that is currently used as a 16 high-quality drinking water source.
17 No. 2, the site will be located within a half a mile of two 18 municipal water supply wells and within a mile and a half of three other wells.
19 The central plan for processing the uranium into yellow cake 20 is located in the town of Crownpoint within one mile of four schools and 21 hundreds of residents.
22 ISL mining deliberately contaminates the groundwater to 23 extract and recover uranium from its host rock. HRI's Church Rock section, 24 at Section 8 and 17, mines will be located literally across the road from my 25 homes of my sisters and I.
26 Mine plans are to drill hundreds of injection and production
22 1 wells in Section 17. A portion of Section 17 is my grazing area. I have a 2 valid BIA grazing lease, and my family has homesite leases from the Navajo 3 Nation. But HRI says its rights to mine supersede my rights to use my land.
4 We will literally get kicked off and be removed from my land when they start 5 to mine.
6 On July 19, 2012, after HRI was cited by the Navajo Nation 7 DOJ for trespass on Navajo land, HRI entered into an agreement stating they 8 will clean up Section 17 before any mining actions by HRI begin. NRC has 9 not taken any steps to require HRI to do any cleanup before starting any new 10 mining.
11 The Navajo Nation will not receive royalties from any mining 12 proposed by HRI in our community. ISL mining is unsafe and is very risky.
13 The people are saying no to any new mining, and a grave injustice will occur 14 if HRI is allowed to operate.
15 Thank you.
16 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: Teri?
17 MS. KEYANNA: Good afternoon.
18 My name is Teracita Keyanna, and I would like somebody 19 from Navajo EPA to help me out, please.
20 Pass that out.
21 Thank you, guys, NRC, for coming out and listening to us.
22 They already have some. So, just let me finish this first.
23 They already have it.
24 So, if you open those white binders (NOTE: the white 25 binders can be found in the NRCs Agencywide Documents Access and 26 Management System under ML22118A743), in the very, very back, this is my
23 1 presentation. Since we're not doing a mine tour, this is the closest thing I can 2 get to you guys. So, if you want to follow along with me, that would be great.
3 So, this is pictures of this area here that you can see, and 4 as well as on this side of the road here. It's just right across. That's the 5 second time-critical removal that had happened. And that young man in that 6 picture in the red is now 17 years old.
7 So, this is just showing you that perspective of just how 8 much this has been impacting the community and, also, not just the elders, 9 not just my generation, but my kids' generation. And you know it's going to 10 continue, unless we get together, all of us, and find a solution.
11 So, please just really, really listen, and don't just listen and 12 hear, but listen and understand that this is our lives. We have human rights, 13 and we need to be looked at as human beings and not be overlooked.
14 The environmental racism has gone on for far too long.
15 And so, I would like for you to really understand and listen. And that's the 16 reason why I'm talking loud -- because you need to hear this.
17 So, if you go on to the second page, it has a poster that I 18 had done with my aunt here, my Aunt Edith, my Uncle Peterson, my Aunt 19 Jackie, all my other aunts here, Jean. We have it actually posted in the back.
20 It's much bigger. And you also have it inside your binder. It's in the very, 21 very front.
22 So, it just gives you a brief history of the community and 23 how, when my aunts and uncles were children back in the '30s, they already 24 started. They started all the exploratory drilling -- I know, Edith -- and it 25 became a problem. And they didn't know.
26 So, unknowingly, my aunts, my uncles, my grandparents,
24 1 my great grandparents were all impacted. And that's one of the reasons why 2 we're trying to force this in right now, because we need to be heard. My great 3 grandma, Helen Nez, she needs to be heard. Her area has been impacted 4 for years.
5 There's too many mines on the Navajo Nation. That can't 6 be overlooked. If you really, really look at it, that is environmental racism.
7 Every single time that these guys have to deal with any kind of government 8 entity alone, it's just -- I'm sorry -- but it's just pissing in the wind.
9 We have to get together, all of us -- Navajo EPA, U.S. EPA, 10 NRC, people from the State, State representatives, county representatives, 11 grassroot organizers. We all need to get together to get this all cleaned up 12 and done properly. If that means we have to do bipartisan stuff and go to 13 Congress, we have to do it, because it's impacting too many people for too 14 long.
15 So, please just understand that. And if you have any 16 questions about this poster, you can come to me and ask.
17 If you can go on to the next page. We had the EPA state 18 that we were not here, and also GE stating that we were not here, before the 19 mining had started. And yet, we have photographic proof that we were here, 20 and pictures do not lie. So, you can read who these people are on these 21 pictures. On some of them, you don't know. And so, you know, there's a 22 face; there's a human being right there photographed, and they're sitting there 23 waiting to live their lives, but they don't know what's happening to the next 24 generation. And so, we are here now to tell you what's going on now is 25 wrong.
26 So, if you can go on to the next page, you can see that we're
25 1 still here in the '70s and '80s. And you can see the children and uncles and 2 aunts of mine all playing in this pile right here on Kerr-McGee. That's right 3 here, right on the side of you guys. That's the proximity, and we're living right 4 between two of them.
5 And now, you actually see and feel how the community has 6 felt for years and generations. So, this is only one day. Like my grandma 7 said, it's one day you're here. You're experiencing this for one day. We 8 experience this all our lives.
9 So, if we can go to the next page, that's going to page 5.
10 This is the mining era from '69 to '86. And that Kerr-McGee mine, that 11 A-frame, I grew up looking at that A-frame. It's no longer there, but I grew up 12 looking at that A-frame.
13 And you see the bottom corner picture on the right is the 14 Red Water Pond Road. That road has been fixed because it was radiated.
15 And I had no idea that every day when I was walking to school, to the bus 16 stop, which was up on top of the road, and coming back after school, all of us 17 kids were exposed to that. And, you know, I never knew. I never realized 18 why my legs ached, my feet ached. And now, I know.
19 And so, this is a situation that the children of my aunts, my 20 uncles, we didn't ask for this. And yet, we're impacted. And we didn't know.
21 When I was a kid, I was herding sheep for my grandma.
22 There was no fencing at all, nothing in sight. There was no boundary.
23 Nobody was there to say, "Hey, you can't go here. This is dangerous."
24 There was nothing like that.
25 I herded sheep up there into the mine area. On hot days, 26 if it rained, the pools of water that developed on the rocks, I had no idea that I
26 1 was doing the same thing as Mr. Yazzie there. I was, you know, taking my 2 drink because it was hot, and I didn't realize that.
3 So, let's go to the next page, page 6. And this is pictures 4 from the '79 spill. You can see the dam breach where it came from the dam 5 and went into the arroyo. And it shows you the tailings there before, and 6 then, it shows you the arroyo after, even the color. And basically, that was 7 the same acidity of battery acid, and there were people who waded through 8 that water to get to their livestock. They ended up with a lot of skin 9 conditions -- blistering, some amputations. There was no reason for 10 something like that to happen.
11 And so, being open-minded and understanding that uranium 12 is not the answer -- people say that uranium and nuclear energy, it's clean, 13 but nobody is looking at the actual entire cycle of it. We are living in that very 14 beginning cycle, and nobody sees that. So, please understand this.
15 Page 7. This is, basically, the view from the top of the 16 whole area of UNC, the milling area. And I just want to point out that, on the 17 top of the map, there's something missing, and that's the human element right 18 there. You're missing the community. You don't get to see that proximity of 19 how close those houses are.
20 You know, I don't want to be mean, but I have to be. That's 21 the U.S. EPA not putting that human element in the actual mapping of these 22 locations. And it's disappointing because I thought they were there to protect 23 us, but it looks like they're just taking away the actual human element from 24 their project here. So, oh, I don't know.
25 Let's go to page 8. So, the runoff along this Kerr-McGee 26 mine here, there's an arroyo that goes all the way down and it goes into an
27 1 area called High Blind Road. This picture shows you the erosion that 2 happens when it rains during monsoon season.
3 This is a picture of my husband kind of giving you some 4 perspective on how wide, how deep, the runoff is. This is monsoon season, 5 and supposedly, there's studies about how the rainfall here is, and everything 6 like that, but, as you can see, my husband is standing there. And he's about 7 the same size as me, the same height, the same build. And you can tell that 8 that water is pretty quick flowing. So, we ask, you know, what do you see 9 when it comes to that picture and erosion?
10 So, go, then, to the next page. And that page shows you 11 the most recent happening that happened, and this bridge was -- I ought to 12 put quotes up -- quote, "fixed." It was repaired. And then, riprap was put 13 there to help with the erosion. And as you can see, that erosion is very 14 evident. And you can see that all those stones, those big, giant stones, are 15 gone. So, we're trying to pound it into you guys' heads that you don't know 16 Mother Nature, and She's going to find a way.
17 The same thing with the proposed jetty that's right in front of 18 the mill. That area, right now, the water has started undercutting underneath 19 the already evaporation piles. So, who are you guys to say that that's not 20 going to continue happening again and again and again? Sure, there's 21 studies for a hundred-year flood, you know, but it's showing you that that 22 wasn't even 100 years. That was one day, monsoon season, it was gone.
23 And then, the last page here has a lot of paperwork that 24 we've done. And these are the most recent ones that we've done talking 25 about the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, the DEIS, and how we want 26 this pause. We want the DEIS to be paused.
28 1 And like I said, everybody needs to be at the table to talk 2 about what we can do that's not just safe for the community, but safe for where 3 we want to put it. We want to have our other communities safe like us, too.
4 But I bring this up a lot. I know it's environmental racism.
5 We've heard about Moab getting cleaned up. They got new homes. And 6 yet, when it came to the community asking for the same thing, it was "No."
7 So, I really want you guys to please pause it. Let us all get 8 to that table -- community members, Navajo Nation, Navajo EPA, U.S. EPA, 9 yourselves, DOJ. Everybody get to that table. Anybody who needs to be at 10 that table should be at that table, and not just sitting there because they're 11 getting paid for a meeting, but to be there and be present in the moment and 12 understanding and listening, and actually trying to resolve this situation, which 13 has gone on far too long.
14 Thank you.
15 MS. HOOD: Thank you very much.
16 Talia?
17 TALIA: (Translation of Native language spoken: Greetings, 18 Im Talia Body, [identifies traditional Navajo clans], Gallup, NM is my 19 hometown and Im from Tuba City, AZ.) Hello. Good afternoon, relatives.
20 Thank you very much for everybody who has come here today to support the 21 Red Water Pond Road.
22 These issues that we are speaking about today are very 23 much emotional, and they very much hit our hearts at the core.
24 I live in Gallup, New Mexico. My family lives in Church 25 Rock, New Mexico. I'm originally from western Tó Nehel h in Tonalea, 26 Arizona.
29 1 Every day on my way to school, grade school, we passed 2 the Tuba City disposal site; also known as "rare metals." At that time, there 3 were no signs alarming us to the radioactive and toxic dangers, nor was it 4 fenced or capped.
5 Children would play on that tailings pile. When they would 6 gather, they would play on it like a sand dune when it was capped. Years 7 later, those families were displaced and relocated, and a lot of them died from 8 cancer.
9 My family, then, moved to Church Rock, New Mexico, home 10 of the 1979 Church Rock spill, the largest radioactive spill in U.S. history to 11 this date.
12 Our homelands and our Native peoples of this land have 13 been exploited and desecrated by the U.S. Government, the Manhattan 14 Project, in the name of the nuclear fuel chain and the Military Industrial 15 Complex.
16 The Dine and many other tribes, including Yakama, 17 Umatilla, and Nez Perce, are impacted by the Hanford site. Oak Ridge has, 18 also, many Native peoples that have been impacted. Cherokee, Sequoyah 19 Fuels Facility has impacted our Cherokee relatives. Yucca Mountain, our 20 western Shoshone relatives have been impacted. White Mesa Mill, our Ute 21 Mountain relatives have been impacted. All the 11 Associated Tribes of the 22 Grand Canyon have been impacted by the Pinyon Plain Mine. Our Kaibab 23 Paiute relatives, our Spokane relatives from Washington State have been 24 impacted by the Spokane Midnight Mine. Our Laguna and Acoma Pueblo 25 peoples have been impacted by the Jackpile Mine. And our Santa Clara and 26 other Pueblos along the Rio Grande have been impacted by the Los Alamos
30 1 National Labs.
2 Native Peoples, we know the cost of nuclear. We come 3 from those front-line communities. We have been experiencing this from day 4 one. We have been dehumanized. We have been displaced and 5 disproportionately impacted by adverse health disparities.
6 The Nuclear Regulatory Commission knows this. The U.S.
7 Environmental Protection Agency knows this. Yet, a blind eye is turned and 8 fingers are pointed. Why? To maintain the status quo?
9 We are tired of deception, secrecy, and bureaucracy. We 10 do not consent to being poisoned, sacrificed, and forgotten -- in the name of 11 the nuclear fuel chain and the Military Industrial Complex.
12 We demand justice, accountability, and transparency. For 13 decades, my elders here have repeatedly demanded for full and proper 14 cleanup. We want your waste, the U.S. Government's waste, off of our tribal 15 trust lands. We are not talking about moving it over the hill and across the 16 road. We want it away from our communities.
17 We demand clean air, land, and water. We demand that 18 our basic human rights be recognized and honored. We demand that our 19 children are protected from deadly radioactive and toxic contaminants. We 20 demand that our voices be heard, and that the cost for cleanup of abandoned 21 uranium mines all across the Napeequa -Din4 Bik4yah be completely covered 22 by the U.S. Government and not reliant on settlements to find cleanup.
23 In the Southwest, we rely on our groundwater. We don't 24 have surface water here. We need clean groundwater.
25 The DEIS is horrendous. It's full of holes and red flags.
26 The example, the proposed area for that waste sits on a flood plain.
31 1 We want to use our traditional medicines; we want to eat our 2 traditional foods without fear of exposure, and to honor the lives of our 3 ancestors.
4 You are on Native land, whether you admit it or not, and we 5 know our rights. We are not going anywhere. We are not your scapegoats.
6 You are violating our basic human rights, and we will not give up. You need 7 to listen to the people.
8 And as a lot of my family members here and relatives have 9 explained -- you know, you asked, "What's the status of EPA? What are the 10 updates?" That is appalling. Why aren't your agencies communicating 11 amongst each other? Why do you have to come to the community to get 12 those updates? What the heck is going on in D.C. and wherever your offices 13 are? It's appalling. It's horrendous.
14 You know, we need to have this planning led by impacted 15 communities, by Native peoples that are impacted, and not this top-down 16 shenanigans that we've been seeing.
17 Nuclear, again, is not green or clean. We have to 18 recognize that it is a very carbon-intensive process, the whole nuclear fuel 19 chain from the front end to the back end. We are from the front-end part of 20 it -- from the mining, the milling, the transportation all the way to the reactors.
21 Almost all uranium mining has happened in the Western 22 States. We know that. We know New Mexico and the Grants Mining district 23 is rich in uranium. We also know that our relatives in Wyoming are also being 24 targeted. Our sacred mountain in Mount Taylor is being targeted. There is 25 the Roca Honda Mine that is still being proposed.
26 When our sacred landscapes are desecrated, that has a
32 1 direct impact on the psyche of Native peoples and hinders our ability to heal 2 from those places. And it decimates the integrity of those areas. We rely 3 on those spaces to heal. We have been here since the beginning. We have 4 regenerative relationships with the natural world. Our land does not speak 5 English. It recognizes Native languages and love, and that's what is needed 6 here.
7 We do not consent to waste transport or dumping. We 8 have a lot of qualms with the transportation routes. We know that it's shipped 9 through rail and major freeways. We know that there's been accidents in the 10 past.
11 We also know that the so-called new science can also be 12 broken, right? It's not forever. But this waste is a forever problem. My 13 children will have to deal with this. All of our children will have to deal with 14 this.
15 We are all impacted by the nuclear fuel chain. On the 16 Western States are all the reactors. The state with the most nuclear reactors 17 is Illinois.
18 What do they do when they're done with all that waste?
19 They try to ship it back here. That's why we have Holtec. We have WIPP.
20 You know, New Mexico is a sacrifice state. We recognize 21 that, too. We've seen all parts of it -- the mining, the milling. We know 22 Sandia has a research reactor. We know all of these things.
23 We're asking you to please listen to us. Hear us. We are 24 tired of pleading with federal agencies who have continually turned a deaf ear 25 to us. We demand justice.
26 (Translation of Native language spoken: Thank you.)
33 1 MS. HOOD: Very powerful.
2 Kravin, you're up next.
3 MR. KEYANNA: Hello. My name is Kravin Keyanna, and 4 I used to live here five years ago.
5 My parents moved all of us kids -- me, my little sister, and 6 my big sister -- all due to the uranium from there and, basically, over there as 7 well. We were, basically, cornered in between, pinned down, and 8 everywhere we went was, basically, near the contamination waste and in the 9 ditches; we'd go in there.
10 And I was looking at a map a while ago today, seeing that 11 some of the contamination was where we mainly played. We were in it, knew 12 it, sometimes fell deep in it. And on rainy days, we'd all play outside just 13 because, if there's enough room, we'd find a little, tiny pond, and then, we'd 14 swim in it. It was crazy.
15 And it kind of makes me frustrated because I love home.
16 This is where I like to be. It's quiet, no fussy neighbors like at home now. I 17 can't be loud or run outside, because when we did, there was a little spot; 18 when we moved, we'd play out there, and then, we got in trouble for it because 19 it wasn't property -- it wasn't even their property in the first place. But we got 20 in trouble. They fenced it off and it was kind of unfair.
21 And basically, everywhere we played, it would be with my 22 nieces, uncles, and aunties, nephews, and we'd all gather, play in the ditches.
23 It rained, basically, every day.
24 And moving away from them was hard for me, knowing that 25 I couldn't see them as much as I used to. Because sometimes it would be 26 every weekend I'd see them, every day after school. And then, ever since
34 1 we moved, I would always ask my Grandma Jackie, because she was still 2 there at the time, and then, I'd ask to sleep over, because, then, all my favorite 3 cousins, uncles, and nieces were there. And we'd all still hang out. We'd 4 go up in the mountains, in the ditches, multiple areas.
5 And I never knew that contamination was so far out where 6 we used to play. And it was kind of crazy knowing that now, that I could also 7 be affected, even as well as my nieces and nephews.
8 And it also affected my mother's health, too, as well, a lot.
9 She had many miscarriages, except for me and my little sister. And it kind of 10 makes me sad, knowing that I could have had a little brother, and maybe a lot 11 more. And it was very hard knowing that miscarriage is also a side effect due 12 to uranium. And we were just -- I don't know; it was crazy.
13 And then, moving away, I was just 11. I was still a child.
14 And I consider myself someone, even though I'm 16. And I still want to go 15 outside, but we can't do any outdoor stuff in town because there's rules, 16 curfews. Not much out there to do besides sit at home and just weep there.
17 And then, every time I have a chance out here, I always try 18 and take as much as I can, locate it. Because I know we stay in town way 19 too long, and I hate it because I love home. It's probably the best ones.
20 What I also miss about being home is being home like with 21 your Grandpa Peterson. We used to all, every time we'd wake up, we always 22 put on SpongeBob or something like that, and then he'd cook us breakfast.
23 It was the best. And I miss that a lot. And now I just wake up to bougie stuff 24 now. No more potatoes and beef and tortillas, none of that anymore.
25 But it was kind of hard moving because I miss my grandpa.
26 And it was all due to this waste that's around us. We're basically surrounded.
35 1 And I want to be home again. That's all I can say.
2 And I'm sure, for all of us that's sitting up here and back 3 there, I mean, I'm sure that we all want the uranium waste moving offsite.
4 Thank you.
5 MS. HOOD: Thank you very much, son.
6 Now I would like to call on someone from Pipeline Road, 7 Tony Tom.
8 MR. T. TOM: (Translation of Native language spoken:
9 Greetings, Im Tony Tom, [identifies his traditional Navajo clans]). Tony Tom 10 is my name from the -- my grandmother and my grandfather were here. I've 11 been living here for 66 years. My grandma passed away in '96. She was 12 85. And (audio interference) parents and me, we lived (audio interference) 13 to be 90-plus. So the area right there is probably more than 200 years 14 resident. But on the map it seems like nobody was out there. That's you 15 guys up in (Translation of Native language spoken: Maybe that is why the 16 mines were opened here because it seemed no one live within the vicinity, my 17 notion.). have a great gift that God gives us. We don't ever say thanks 18 opening our eyes in the morning. That's a gift. I didn't see you all this 19 morning, so now I'll say good afternoon. And all four corners (audio 20 interference) thank you. Thank you for -- Commissioners, thank you for 21 listening each and every word.
22 I know you guys sitting there looking at your clock. How 23 much time these guys have left? We have a lot of time. We'll be saying this 24 duplicating words. It hurts. And you guys got nice clothes on. As soon as 25 you get home, get in your vehicle, you can throw them away. Today is a gift.
26 You all witness what the weather looks like. God said this is what they live
36 1 through. This is what they ate; drank water. Full of clothes that dirt. That's 2 how we lived it. Like I said, 66 years of this.
3 Where are we going with this? It's kind of like living in 4 heaven. There used to be ore trucks running down the road. The ore's 5 flying out the highway from here to Grants. Now we're kind of living in hell.
6 What are we going through, you know? So people are right. What hurts.
7 And who's going to pay for it? We lost a lot relatives, maybe due to this. But 8 people say I don't think so.
9 So, you know, like they said, please listen. But I'm pretty 10 sure that you guys got something in your pocket to take home. And living in 11 New York or California totally different than living here. And you witness it 12 now today. It is hard. It is hard to see somebody -- you know, I went to 13 school with Larry, Annie, and Peterson, you know? Conditions of how some 14 us look like, 60-plus years. It's something that we got to deal with. I mean, 15 there's grandmas here, there's infants here, you know? It is really hard.
16 So where are we going? Which way are we going is what 17 we're saying. And we're trying to have these people listen to us.
18 (Translation of Native language spoken: It is truly difficult.) It's been going 19 on. I see Red Water Pond marching down the road and lot of us did work 20 didn't have time to seem like it. It's our fault. It's my fault for maybe coming 21 here once in a while. My uncle used to show up quite a bit, but back in June 22 he passed away. So lot of these leaders (Translation of Native language 23 spoken: are now deceased). Even in our chapter houses. I spent two years 24 with these -- I'll do this (Translation of Native language spoken: to entice us).
25 Two years is over. Nobody says hey, boo.
26 Our president, thank you (Translation of Native language
37 1 spoken: that you are among us here). It used to be chairman (Translation of 2 Native language spoken: what we called our past leader). They change that.
3 Our first lady -- our grandma's the first lady. So thanks for showing up and 4 thanks for coming.
5 And lot of info. Like I said, I live over here 66 years and 6 where -- I don't know how old you guys were in '79. Where and how all this 7 started. My grandparents used to be a permittee holder, right on this side of 8 the fence here. Cattle. Sheep. That's what is was for. Never knew this 9 is going to be happening. They live right where the mill was. Somehow one 10 day plan goes chapter settles. Okay. You all have to move. Where do we 11 move? Right across -- right across.
12 Promises were made. Electric. Good road. Never 13 happened. Never happened. They moved. Never happened -- nobody 14 looked at them. They live way back in there. The only road was up the road 15 here, across and over the hill along the ridge. So things like that we went 16 through.
17 So lot of chapters was involved, but I heard somebody say 18 nobody came around. These mines came through here without even waking 19 us up. We just know there was drilling like a carnival here. They had lights 20 on Big Reds. They leave their pond behind. Lost sheeps, cattles. I mean, 21 it was a rough life.
22 But all a sudden these mines came up. So we got to go 23 somewhere with it in a better way and with some handshaking. I mean, that's 24 the only way to solve it. Other than that it's a ongoing thing.
25 And I appreciate you all coming. I know gas is high now 26 and roads are smooth. And thank you all (Translation of Native language
38 1 spoken: to everyone that showed up here at the meeting). And ladies here, 2 thanks for showing up. We really -- well I kind of knew what was going on 3 here, but really not paying attention because just head home and -- and this 4 is part of my fault, not coming to the meetings and maybe hang with Larry like 5 we did back in high school.
6 I'm going to tell on you, Larry.
7 Where's Annie, too? I want to tell on Annie, too.
8 (Translation of Native language spoken: Thank you.) I 9 thank you. Although just kind of make it short and sweet and hopefully we 10 can get somewhere with this. Hopefully. And like I said, I was -- my parents 11 were a permittee holder. Grandparents was a permittee holder back there.
12 And where am going with that now?
13 I went to the ranch meeting. I was going to ask if they had 14 something available that maybe you all can have in -- to get into the ranch.
15 My cattle needs to live somewhere, too, you know? And we all go to -- like 16 the McDonald, to go to Lotaburger, steaks. So that's part of our revenue.
17 So I need to go somewhere with my family there, too. So you know, I'd like 18 to say please think about that.
19 And thank you. Thank you for showing up. And I'm going 20 to go ahead and introduce my brother. My other uncle didn't show today, so 21 I'll go ahead and introduce my brother Sider representing Pipeline over here 22 up the road. So thank you. You all have a good evening. We'll see you 23 all tonight again. Will we have room for this many over there?
24 Sider?
25 Thank you. (Translation of Native language spoken:
26 THANK YOU!)
39 1 MR. S. TOM: I didn't know I was going to say something, 2 but my other uncles didn't show today. So they're in meetings and they're a 3 part of the chapter councils, too. So they have meetings also.
4 But we grew up here in this area and I'm back there with my 5 brother Tony from Pipeline Road. And you know, everybody talks about this 6 land here. And why? Why did that dam break? Why did that dam break?
7 You guys know why it broke?
8 The reason why that dam broke, he just said right there, his 9 grandparents used to lease that land where that mill is set. They used to live 10 across on the south side. That's where we used to get your drinking water.
11 From there to where we live. That was our drinking water. And when they 12 shut that down, we had to go to Gallup to get our drinking water.
13 But that dam and that area there was traditional -- they used 14 to do a lot of traditional ceremonials there for winter and summer. Right there 15 where that dam's at, in that area of that dam. And that's a sacred place, too, 16 that mountain itself. When they were trying to round up all the Navajos they 17 used to hide up there and they used to say a lot of prayers up there. And 18 right before that, that place, that -- before that water ended there used to be a 19 burial ground there. There's some infants that were buried there from that 20 -- the elders that used to live there. So why? Now you guys know. Now 21 you know why that dam broke and caused chaos through here. It was 22 through -- it happened.
23 And here, even here, these mountains. When Annie was 24 talking about her prayers -- see these mountains, the mesas, those are 25 breasts of this earth. And that's who we pray for and who we talk to in the 26 mornings. And there's a lot of areas in this area that are used traditionally.
40 1 Right here in this area. Even where we live right up on top of this mesa here.
2 Right where that second mine shaft there's a lot of herbs there that we used 3 to use. And they told us to leave it. And they promised us. People will 4 come over and promise us.
5 Yes, we're going to build you that -- leave that hogan alone.
6 It's contaminated. Because I built that when I was 16 years old with my 7 grandpa. And he -- they told us to leave that alone and get out of there. So 8 this day. But 25 years now it's just sitting there waiting for somebody to come 9 over and build our hogan that I built and build a new one there. And it's just 10 sitting there. They said it's full of radiation. And a house that sits next to it 11 is the same thing, too. So they told us to move out. But nothing's ever been 12 done.
13 We been told, hey, yeah, we're going to help you people out, 14 this community, all of us that live here. Nothing's been done. They just 15 made their money and off they went and left us with nothing.
16 But you know, I say this, when you work in these mines, 17 there's 524 mines, uranium mines still that are not claimed. And people 18 come over and say hey, that's -- let's just work on this one area and cement 19 -- put cement on it and just cover it up. Why don't you just -- this is an idea 20 for you guys: Why don't you guys take it to one whole place and take care 21 of it all at one time instead of having it in all different areas? And people 22 complaining to you and saying hey, you know, do that for an idea. Make 23 something up where it can be all in one place, not in different areas where 24 people will complain. Put it in one area. And that's all I have to say.
25 MS. HOOD: Okay. I would like to have Jonathan Perry.
26 MR. PERRY: Good afternoon, everyone. (Translation of
41 1 Native language spoken: Acknowledging my leader). Mr. Nez, good 2 afternoon. Commissioners, good afternoon again. Thank you for inviting me 3 to speak to this body here today. I do appreciate the time given.
4 My name is Jonathan Perry and I live up the road not too far 5 from here, a few miles towards Crownpoint. And there are several points I 6 want to make today to our Commissioners. And I know earlier I kind of 7 started yelling, but I'm not a really -- I'm not a mean person unless you get on 8 my nerves with my people here.
9 So it's really hard because everyone here has been telling 10 the same account over and over and they have to go to meetings all the time.
11 You have government officials that come in almost every year and they have 12 to repeat their stories over and over again. And it hurts. It hurts them to 13 think about it. It hurts them to think of not only the pain they're going through 14 as individuals, but the people they lost, the family members that are no longer 15 here, those that can't make it out to events like this because of physical 16 disabilities. It's really hard.
17 And this base that we're here on today is very sacred in 18 terms of the people that are here, the community members. Earlier the 19 gentleman stated that the medicinal plants, the location, that's really important 20 when coming to a place like this, acknowledging our culture, acknowledging 21 who we are as Dine, the way we do things here, how we conduct business.
22 It's not the same as when you go off to cities or other places across the 23 country. When you come and you visit us here, make sure and please 24 acknowledge and respect our space as Dine. Make sure that we have time 25 to speak. Make sure that we have that ability to share what's really on our 26 mind, on our hearts.
42 1 As NRC Commissioners it's very important that you are 2 here, and I do appreciate you taking out time, but there's a responsibility in the 3 Federal Government. All of us here as Dine, even our past leaders and those 4 that came before us, upheld our treaty, 1868. We were here. Our Code 5 Talkers went off to war. They protected America. They came back. We 6 still have veterans here today who did that and who called -- who took that 7 call. We were asked to support and defend America. They've done it.
8 The other part of that, of the Treaty of 1868 needs to be 9 upheld by the Federal Government, and that's the protection of our people 10 here. Far too long we've been hurting. Far too long the companies and 11 corporations have been coming in here. They've been applying for licenses.
12 They've been applying for permits. They've been coming in identifying areas.
13 We would not go to a church and say we're going to build something in the 14 middle of the church. We would not dream of going to Arlington Cemetery 15 and desecrating that area of the cemetery. And that's the same respect that 16 we want here.
17 The gentleman here stated earlier, down there there's burial 18 sites up in the areas when they were rounding up Navajos in the 1800s.
19 There's areas that they stuck out, at that they hid, that they protected. Those 20 sites are still here. Those stories are still with us. The ceremonies that we 21 still practice, the songs that are connected, the stories are still there with us.
22 Our umbilical cords that we bury for our children to come 23 home to identify where they're from is still there with us. To this day a lot of 24 our people still have that. Our young people, the young gentleman that 25 spoke earlier talked about his place here when he grew up. He's going to 26 carry that throughout his whole life. His siblings, his relatives that are now
43 1 grown are going to carry that with them their whole life. So I'm asking NRC 2 uphold the treaty as a part of the Federal Government that you are. Protect 3 the Navajo people here.
4 The other thing I wanted to mention is that as visitors here 5 to this region we often talk about Navajo Nation or Navajo Reservation, but 6 what I want to talk about is looking back generations and generations of our 7 people that live in this region this is Navajo land, the Napeequa.Din4 8 Bik4yah. We have stories that go back multi generations here. I'm 9 mentioning this because I want you to recognize and acknowledge not only 10 laws that exist within the books, but our Dine fundamental law that exists with 11 our people here as well.
12 The four components that you bring up: customary law, 13 traditional law, common law, natural law, these laws that we incorporated that 14 not only our grandparents, our great-grandparents, but going back centuries 15 -- these laws never changed. Today you have laws that are being introduced 16 by Congress. They get changed every few years. Dine fundamental law 17 never changes. It's been the same as it's always been in the past and it is 18 today.
19 So I'm asking you to consider that. And in that I'm saying 20 that to respect our relationship here and what we call (Translation of Native 21 language spoken: Kinship relationship to everything), our relatives, our 22 system of relationship, not only with the people here, but with the land, the air, 23 the water, these elements that make up who we are and our position, our place 24 on this earth. Because every person here, every person that's sitting in this 25 cha'a'oh, this Shade House, has a purpose and has a place. We each have 26 a value. I know the three of you understand that.
44 1 Now in doing so the Navajo Nation also has two other laws 2 I want you to guys to be aware of. The Dine Natural Resources Protection 3 Act, which was passed in 2005, is very important. We call that the DNRPA.
4 And that's to say that the Navajo Nation wants satisfactory cleanup of all its 5 sites before any discussion begins on any new proposed mining, whether 6 that's conventional mining or in-solute mining, or ISR as some of you might 7 call it.
8 The other one is the Radioactive Transportation Act of 2012, 9 the standards that we need to have in order to carry out these plans that you 10 are going to be presenting. How is that going to look to Navajo people, to 11 Navajo Nation, our leaders here, the position that they have with at the -- to 12 be at the table for these discussions, to respect our leader (Translation of 13 Native language spoken: Our leadership), to respect our other people here?
14 We have other leaders here as well. They might not be elected officials, but 15 these are leaders. They came. They're representing their communities.
16 We have people not only from here, from this region in 17 Shiprock. You have people from Tachee, Blue Gap. You have people from 18 Cameron. All of these locations across Navajo Nation. We are all 19 concerned about this.
20 There was that report and I'm wondering how NRC, if you 21 would report back on the GAO report from May of 2014 identifying the 22 shortcomings on why -- why do the people here have to hear updated five-23 year plans every single year? Why is it failing? It's a failure. This report 24 stated that the IHS, U.S. EPA, NRC, Department of Energy, all of these 25 agencies are failing the Navajo people. But we don't hear reports about how 26 are they changing it? What are they doing different? We don't hear that.
45 1 So I'm hoping that after today you would come back and tell 2 us these are the corrections we're going to make, this is the course of action 3 we're going to do. That's more important.
4 And part of that, too, is the cycle. Now as individuals I want 5 you to look out at everybody right here. Look at everyone. Do you see 6 value in everyone here? Yes, you do. So do I. And I see value in the three 7 of you as well as individuals. But let me tell you, we can talk clean up, but 8 we're not being honest if we grant new permits. We're not being honest when 9 we grant new licenses. Whether that's in another location up the road down 10 here -- and let me tell you why. Because all of this is connected. Okay?
11 Earlier Larry, Mr. King brought up the HRI issue. That's 12 true. Because NTUA, our tribal utility authority that manages our water 13 infrastructure, passed a resolution years ago stating that they are in opposition 14 of ASA -- UA -- or I'm sorry, SUA-1508 because all of this area serves over 15 10,000 Navajo people for water. And it also serves multiple communities 16 going in that direction, northeastern direction. So NTUA was aware and they 17 said no, please don't do it. We don't support it.
18 So in being honest and going forward and saying that you're 19 going to help the people, the other part of that is making sure that no new 20 mining happens. Please.
21 It's really hard because for years I've been fortunate for my 22 relatives here and across Eastern Agency to look at me as a leader. I'm a 23 chapter official and I'm a former council delegate. But the work was always 24 hard because we don't get that time with the federal entities. We need better 25 communication. Our support for the Navajo communities need to be 26 improved.
46 1 These 5-year plans, 10-year plans that exist are failures 2 because number one component, our people here should be at the table at all 3 times. They are not. Some time, most of the time we get plans where there 4 -- it's being pushed on our communities. That's not the way it should be.
5 Okay?
6 Earlier Shadek, my older sister, mentioned the Uranium 7 Commission. When President Shelly was in office I remember him putting 8 that task force together. And I attended all of those meetings. When I 9 became a delegate that was my first legislation that I introduced, the Uranium 10 Commission. And Delegate Nez, or Mr. Nez at that time was delegate and 11 he was the second one to sign with me. I remember I walked out of the office 12 and he was coming in. So we talked about it.
13 But that legislation was important because it allowed the 14 people here to sit and be involved. That was the main intent behind doing 15 that. It needs to be revisited.
16 Mr. Nez, please revive that commission. Make that a 17 priority. (Translation of Native language spoken: Please my leader).
18 But aside from that, going forward I want to also 19 acknowledge that there was a proclamation in October that was signed by our 20 tribal leadership. October 21st of 2021, the proclamation by President Nez, 21 Vice President Lizer, Speaker Damon at the 24th Council, they acknowledge 22 there's human rights violation by NRC, violation of our right to life, our right to 23 property, our right to health, our right to our culture, our right to be Dine.
24 Human right violation is very, very serious topic. Whether 25 you're talking about the American Declaration of Right (audio interference),
26 whether you're talking about the United Nation Declaration of Rights of
47 1 Indigenous People, or you're talking about our own Dine fundamental rights 2 here in this area.
3 So in that proclamation and with the support of various 4 communities -- and I keep getting closer because is this making more noise.
5 So it's not (audio interference). But there's chapters, over 80 chapters that 6 signed resolutions and passed that supporting what the Eastern Navajo Dine 7 uranium mining and what the proclamation said.
8 There is also resolutions from the school boards, McKinley 9 County, the BIE schools, other entities that exist in our community saying do 10 not approve new licenses. You see the devastation that we have. We don't 11 want to carry it on for another generation.
12 And I'm going to plead with the three of you because the 13 Federal Indian policy is still genocide. It still exists very much today as it did 14 in 1864. Our young people are still being born with health discrepancies.
15 Our people cannot even rely on IHS for quality health care. These were all 16 entrusted in the Treaty of 1868, but the Federal Government failed us.
17 Now in this we're asking, recognize our human rights, 18 recognize that we are individuals, and recognize that the Federal Indian policy 19 is grossly inhumane. And you three, along with the other Commissioners, 20 can go in the right direction with that. You can end racism. You can end 21 environmental genocide destruction with your choices, and we're asking you 22 to do that. Please revoke license SUA-1508, protect our people, do what you 23 can to make sure that these plans are going to be functional and that they are 24 going to benefit our people. That's what we're asking for. And look at -- into 25 the eyes and faces of everyone here of the journey that they've been through 26 so far in life, how hard it's been.
48 1 You're seeing how our average spring day is here. From 2 February to May this is how it looks. I woke up this morning and said it's a 3 nice spring day. Some of us get accustomed to it. But even the wind is 4 holy, our holy people that's acknowledged, that has its purpose. It's trying to 5 clean out. It's trying to take away the evilness. Maybe they knew you were 6 here. Maybe they're trying to say this is what we want you to do. Get 7 everything out from these communities.
8 So with that, Commissioners, with respect, I do ask for you 9 to please make the necessary choices and changes that will impact everyone 10 here and their relatives, all the communities in the Eastern Agency 11 (Translation of Native language spoken: Thank you leaders). I thank you 12 again for taking time out today. Thank you.
13 MS. HOOD: Thank you so much, Jonathan.
14 I would like to have Chris Shuey come up.
15 MR. SHUEY: (Translation of Native language spoken:
16 Greetings everyone, greetings to our leadership here and thank you.) It's 17 good to see you again.
18 Members of the Commission, none of us remember (audio 19 interference) Nuclear Regulatory Commission visit this area. Madam 20 Director and my friend and mentor Edith here. I have just a few things to say 21 that will focus on some of the health studies that we have done, but I wanted 22 to take you back a little bit to the history of the tailings site up here.
23 It was the -- Section 2 was acquired by United Nuclear back 24 in 1969 for about $29,000. And the records are in the McKinley County 25 courthouse. In 1974 they prepared the site. There were people, as one of 26 our friends had mentioned, who had been living there because it had been
49 1 state land that the state leased to BIA, which leased to grazers from the area.
2 But they were not -- had title to the land, so United Nuclear came in to prepare 3 the site and the people had to leave.
4 The dam was built in '74 and '75, a clay core facility on the 5 site of the arroyo, which was not an appropriate place for any kind of long-6 term management and containment of radioactive waste. It would not be 7 permitted today. The tailings spill had multiple causes including differential 8 settlement at that transition zone between the starter dam, which was 9 overladen, both on the bedrock and on the alluvium of the pipeline arroyo.
10 But operational errors occurred. The south pond was overfilled. It's 11 freeboard was supposed to be limited to five feet; it was two feet. There were 12 cracks in the dam that were photographed a year before the spill. These 13 things all contributed to that.
14 It's been alluded to that people were taken aback by the spill 15 and people walked in the river not knowing and they were exposed to that 16 battery acid that Teri Keyanna talked about. It had a pH of one and a half.
17 That caused burns on the skin. But all the potential and actual health effects 18 were not -- were just ignored and really not even attentive to -- by the federal 19 agencies.
20 The work that we have done -- and when I say we, I'm 21 talking about my organization, Southwest Research and Information Center in 22 partnership with our colleagues at the University of New Mexico. We started 23 to be able to find the federal money needed to study the health of the people 24 around these areas, but it was probably 20 to 30 years too late. We should 25 have been doing it then.
26 But what we have seen since then is startling. People ask
50 1 us -- I'm part of the Navajo Birth Cohort Study staff and people ask us wait a 2 minute, you guys have found uranium in newborn babies? Yes. Before that 3 nobody thought that the heaviest of metals on the face of the earth could go 4 beyond the placenta. It does. And unfortunately those concentrations 5 increase in the first year of the child's life. We have seen as a result of 1,800 6 women and children in our study that there is a widespread increase in 7 uranium and other metal concentrations in people's blood and urine 8 throughout the Navajo Nation. It's a cross-sectional study, so we accept 9 anybody who comes in. You don't have to live in a uranium-impacted area.
10 We've had to develop reference levels for metals in biological fluids that 11 exceed that of the national NHANES studies that the CDC does every three 12 years. Only about 14 percent of the people in our study live within five 13 kilometers of an abandoned uranium mine. So there's exposure going on all 14 the time out here and that's what makes this history so unbearable.
15 In this particular area as a result of doing a cross-sectional 16 study called the Dine Project in which we surveyed 1,304 people; one of the 17 largest studies ever attempted on Navajo, and we got -- collected blood and 18 urine from 267 of them as volunteers, we've essentially found that the closer 19 that you live to mine waste, the higher your risk of hypertension, kidney 20 disease, especially during the mining period, and autoimmunity. And we're 21 finding that theres this combination of metabolic chronic disease that is 22 pervasive among people who live within these mining districts.
23 We don't necessarily follow cancer; not that it's not 24 important, but it's absolutely critical to understand that the mines are 25 contributing to the extensive health disparities that already exist in 26 marginalized communities like these.
51 1 It's important to know that -- and part of this exposure is from 2 the -- we believe from the redeposition of materials off these waste sites.
3 These sites have sat around for several decades. They have weathered and 4 they have developed a thin layer of super fine sub-micron particles on the top.
5 And sub-micron -- a micron is a million of a meter and it's very small. But you 6 can inhale these things deep into your lungs, into the breathing sacs of the 7 lungs. They don't get caught up here in the upper respiratory tract. And 8 they can lead to cardiopulmonary toxicity that we've observed now in 9 laboratory animal studies.
10 This is why it's absolutely critical, as Jonathan Perry and 11 others were noting, to figure out how to speed up the process of cleaning up 12 these 500-and-some-odd mines. And as one of the gentleman said, it makes 13 a lot more sense to try to consolidate mine waste into a few sites because 14 they need to be monitored forever, right, rather than piecemealing each of 15 these places that -- it's going to take 100 years -- our great-grandchildren are 16 going to be -- maybe sitting here in 100 years talking about the same thing if 17 we don't come up with a comprehensive plan that the Federal Government 18 gets in back of.
19 Let me remind you that uranium was located on the Navajo 20 Nation and in the southwest and the Colorado Plateau as a result of the 21 government's need for fissile material for the Manhattan Project, later for the 22 Nuclear Weapons Program. All of this came from that point.
23 This mine, the Northeast Church Rock Mine, was actually 24 an early contract between UNC and the Atomic Energy Commission in '65 and 25 was part of an agreement between Santa Fe Pacific Railway and the Navajo 26 Nation that allowed uranium development on odd numbered sections back in
52 1 1959. And that was signed off on by BIA. And so we have federal 2 responsibility that has never really been acknowledged and accepted.
3 We have lots of folks that we've collaborated with, with the 4 Navajo Nation, with U.S. EPA, NRC, DOE, and largely good people. But it's 5 really at the highest level of the Federal Government that action needs to be 6 taken to give the justice that people in these communities need. And this is 7 just one of many that we've worked with.
8 You know, I'll just leave with a comment that -- I've been out 9 here for 40 years. That picture of the dam break that my colleague Paul 10 Robinson took the day after the tailings spill is the only one you can find. If 11 somebody else can come up with a ground level picture of the breach, we'd 12 like to see it. But during that time I always felt as kind of an environmental 13 assister to these communities guilt going back home to Albuquerque, my little 14 comfortable home. And I didn't have a tailings pile or a couple of mine waste 15 out in the back yard.
16 So out of that adversity comes opportunity, and that 17 opportunity for you folks is to bring this message back to the Federal 18 Government, to your own staff and back in the scoping meeting in March of 19 2019 that the staff was at in Gallup. I said to them get out of the Twin Towers 20 of Mordor -- that's your building -- and come out here and walk the arroyo.
21 See the force of Mother Nature and the water that comes through here. We 22 have a very serious problem of guaranteeing that that repository will not fail if 23 this plan goes through.
24 And so I stand with the community to recommend that you 25 withdraw the EIS and commit to a multi-agency, multi-jurisdiction process to 26 find solutions to this uranium mine waste problem with people from the
53 1 communities at the table. Otherwise, like I said, we're going to be talking 2 about this -- our grandkids are going to be talking about this 100 years from 3 now. Yea.
4 MS. HOOD: Thank you, Chris. Next one.
5 MS. H. NEZ: (Translation of Native language spoken:
6 Yes, greetings to all of you here. We came to this meeting. We came here 7 a long time ago and many areas where theres impact of the same type of -
8 of various type of hazard to human health risks that weve, we maybe 9 unprivileged peoples (audio interference). Let me introduce myself first, I am 10 from Black Mesa, Blue Gap Tachee is where I'm from. A plateau mesa like 11 This table -- like mesa -- Black Mesa is like this table. With valleys stretching 12 in different direction among other mesas. There are many, many people in 13 that area. Different ethnic groups of people, there for work, or hold business, 14 some people dont seem to care too much about the environment any more 15 therefore its difficult. We are in an area where it's difficult -- has difficulty 16 because people act and think differently as well and impacts from this area.is 17 hard to deal with the issues without being educated on it.
18 I am thankful that you are here. You are my children's and 19 including people that are from the Federal Government. You finally thought 20 of us down here. Please listen to those people that are speaking. From 21 there you're able to take this information and do something and assist us in 22 the cleanup of the uranium waste risks and impacts. And thank you.
23 My son Jonathan, the president, is here. We are -- your 24 last name is -- your last name make you our son. Thank you for being here.
25 We have been impacted by the environmental injustice that is occurring at this 26 time. You are here. I am Helen Nez. This is my daughter and this is my
54 1 son. I have a son that lives out of the Reservation. I have one sister. We 2 are -- we have had a lot of shortcomings. And many of my children are gone, 3 them they passed away, who were past the age of fifty years. This is the only 4 children that I have right now that are living. The others have been -- have 5 deceased. It's very hard for me.
6 It really moves me when -- it's emotional when I hear people 7 speak about the impacts from the uranium mine. But all these concerns are 8 very emotional, the very aspects of hazards in the body. I want to see this 9 happen. That the meeting does have a positive outcome. I want to see that 10 you are able to help us from the Federal Government. You have to sit and 11 listen and turn this into something that is useful for the people that you are 12 listening to.
13 Where is it that you will be able to contribute? Just like this 14 Black Mesa that I'm talking about, these the Navajo people, the other Native 15 Americans that we live with beyond. We live with the Hopi Tribes and we 16 have the White people as well as the White Mountain Apaches that we live 17 with and we're intertwined. We are the Navajo people. We want to be able 18 to see this cleanup, because we have compassion for life, the -- compassion 19 and reverence for both people and the earth. Why can't we come together 20 for to work together and see a result-- in the prior years we have come together 21 to really sit down and see how we can contribute to create a plan that will be 22 used to initiate cleanup of the mess.
23 The Blue Gap area has some uranium mines as well.
24 We've made some mistakes in the past. We don't know how to carry out a 25 cleanup, those of us that live out there. It's very emotional for me because a 26 lot of my children have passed on. I remember them during their birthdays.
55 1 I just cry because it's emotional for me.
2 What kind of impact are out there, and we are just we sitting 3 around and waiting. You federal government didn't tell us that this was risky.
4 We didn't get the safety aspects of uranium mines. Nobody told us this. It 5 was so -- it was the Federal Government that took the resources and paid 6 others for money. We feel -- I feel people are more empathic I know we Din4 7 are that we're more compassionate than that.
8 I think all of us in the prior years when the exploration was 9 happening -that we should have ask questions about what is it that they want 10 that brings them here? We should have sat down with them to determine 11 what they were looking for. We want to know the miners historical past -- we 12 want to go back and find the historical issues that would have been a problem, 13 but we didn't. We have educated people here that will see to these issues 14 because they're educated.
15 Now we're at the table. We are now sitting with an 16 overwhelming problem. So we need to come together to do this together so 17 we can create a successful program, projects that will clean up our land. We 18 went to Fort Sumner on the Long Walk because the federal government 19 alleged that we were infringing on others. Our medicinal medicine are 20 disappearing, we were not able to get the medicine. Some herbs are very far 21 to find; we went to the ocean for herbs. We were told that we were 22 marauding tribes. We were able to come together with other Indian tribes to 23 be able to save our own people. These are some issues that we live through.
24 It was overwhelming at that time.
25 I am 80-plus years old. Maybe 12 years -- maybe this 26 meeting will be lost to my mind because Im getting older, we better record all
56 1 this. I don't know if this meeting is even being recorded. I would like to see 2 this be -- to be recorded. I think many of you are in support of this idea.
3 We are Native people of different tribes who have lived 4 through some of the horrendous injustice weve lived through here. There's 5 people living all the way from the beaches of Western Pacific Ocean and more 6 people up this way. We are compassionate peoples. We are a people of 7 reverence. We believe in the sacredness of the natural resources. Maybe 8 that is why we are talking about it and you don't understand what we mean.
9 You don't understand us, but if you can pick it up so we both can pick up what 10 we each mean, you and I want to understand each other's -- we have to talk.
11 That's the only way that we will all understand each other.
12 Our children, our future generation, that is a big, big issue 13 that I want you to take home with you. Our children. No matter how much 14 you've cried about it, you can never overstep these issues that I feel they will 15 live with if nothing becomes of this meeting. It will always remain, whatever 16 mistake you've made or leaving something incomplete. These leaders are 17 presenting to you what they believe will assist in the cleanup.
18 My father although he was not educated went to work.
19 There are times when you feel like you're just defeated and there are things 20 that are not done the way you want it done. These are -- you should take 21 care of these things that are in our way. Now we've got uranium. When it 22 first came how come we didn't get any paper? And they all moved away 23 without letting us know. Why did they leave in such a hurry? So from my 24 point of view that is a real concern for me. How come? Where is those 25 papers that show us why they left and how -- and what their names were?
26 They should redo -- do things to correct things for us. They should make it
57 1 -- some changes for us so that our lives are much better, somebody that can 2 speak to us in a good way and our children and my grandkids and my relatives 3 and my leaders, people from all distance you're coming from. It is hard. It 4 is difficult.
5 We don't do things like that. When we do stuff -- when 6 we're going to go for yucca to wash our hair, we know how to do that. And 7 we know how to weave and to make rugs. That's all we dig for. We don't 8 go -- to go dig down into the ground and we don't do those things. That's 9 why it's difficult for us to understand these things from here.
10 I feel like I could talk for another -- and so my throat -- and 11 for me to talk from a distance so it does affect me. So that's all I want to say.
12 Thank you, my children. Thank you.)
13 MS. HOOD: Thank you. Grace. (Translation of Native 14 language spoken: Your comments will close at 5PM according to our agenda 15 keeper, so make your talk shorter.)
16 MR. HOOD: (Translation of Native language spoken:
17 Greetings my people/relatives.) I'd like to say hello, my relatives and all my 18 young fellows and young women and all of you that have come. Tony is my 19 name.
20 Singer of songs, before the Bureau of Indian Affairs 21 threatened my parents with jail time for me to go to school. So English is my 22 second language so bear with me. Sometimes I get tongue twisted.
23 I am a Vietnam-era veteran. I have two older brothers that 24 went to Vietnam. They are still in the battle from Agent Orange. There is a 25 list of our veterans right there. Take time to look at it. (Translation of Native 26 language spoken: Thank you for being here.) Today, I was scheduled to go
58 1 in for surgery.
2 They found some polyps in my kidney and a crystalized 3 object in my kidney. It might be uranium or gold. So it's a good thing they 4 postponed my appointment and I have another day to fight.
5 I work in the uranium (inaudible) for 11 years and I work on 6 the surface and down in the mine. I was involved in a rock fall. Some rocks 7 came down and pinned me in a squatting position like this.
8 I don't know how long, but when I came to I had a 2x3x2 9 boulder sitting on my back and my coworker was a fresh recruit and I told him 10 to take a lag, and it's a 3x12x6-foot piece of lumber, I told him to put that 11 lumber under the rock and try to pry it up, but was to no avail.
12 So he went to the lunchroom and brought back some 13 people. Four guys had to push that rock over and they dug me out. So it's 14 true, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
15 When I was small in the late early '50s, some geologists 16 came around and back then, way back, our elders used to bury people in rock 17 crevices and fill it with rocks and sticks, apparently that archeologist, geologist, 18 found that body and he dug it out and he brought it back and it really made my 19 grandma mad.
20 She said get that son of a bitch out of here. But that's mild 21 compared to what she said in Navajo. So we have been exposed to that 22 desecration of burials, desecration of archeological sites, desecration of our 23 shrines. I have witnessed it.
24 I used to herd sheep here. My parents, they live right here 25 near the mine. My dad had COPD and my mom had a piece of her ascending 26 colon removed. There were some polyps.
59 1 So it's true, (Translation of Native language spoken: its 2 dangerous,), it's dangerous. (Translation of Native language spoken: Its a 3 very aggressive serious and chronic ailment), very dangerous. So thank you 4 for coming out here, the Commissioners, and everybody.
5 We need to get rid of this, not prolong it. I live up here and 6 my children used to walk to the bus stop and that's a contaminated area over 7 here now.
8 (Translation of Native language spoken: Its true its a health 9 hazard and its here within our community.) I would like to thank my mom, 10 Shima. (Translation of Native language spoken: You gave a very illuminating 11 well prepared comment here; very thankful for it.) and then all the other people 12 that spoke before me. So I just wanted to take this time out to say a few 13 words. Thank you.
14 MS. HOOD: Go ahead. Thompson.
15 MR. BELL: (Translation of Native language spoken:
16 Greetings). Thank you for putting me on the list. My name is Thompson 17 Bell. That's my brother, Peterson, and my wife there, Rose. She deals with 18 a lot of stuff that I deal with.
19 One of the things that a lot of my family don't talk about is 20 the health issues, because mine is different. I don't know if it's the same as 21 theirs, but mine is a skin issue.
22 Even IHS or RMCH, they don't recognize my issues. Why 23 it's always lung disease? But I was going to make it a word picture, but there 24 is a museum in Grants about what a uranium mine looks like.
25 One time I took my family over there and, here, I told them 26 this is too clean. But I have been in the mine for five years. I worked with
60 1 my brother there and Tony would be working up there in the slopes and I will 2 be down here fixing things, because I was a mechanic, but my brother he 3 stood right there where the wind was.
4 The wind was constantly like this where they called it a 5 station where the shaft comes down and they'll be the, the cage, which is the 6 elevator, and you'd be standing right there taking all the supplies in and I'll 7 take the stuff back in the back to the mechanic shop, but he stood there and 8 that's what I think his health issues are.
9 You know, my sister couldn't talk much because the 10 allergies is getting to her right now. Her name is Jackie, way in the back in 11 the brown. That's my sister.
12 She can't really talk right now because her asthma is kicking 13 in. A lot of the things that happened to her could be the results of what this 14 uranium has done to our bodies.
15 Right now, she adopted six children, six. Many times we'd 16 never think about other children because we are busy doing our life, working, 17 but she had an opportunity to affect six lives, but my, myself, my wife and I, 18 we adopted four boys, and then my daughter and the other daughter, she 19 adopted one, Teri, and then my other daughter adopted two.
20 So why can't we take an opportunity to allocate some money 21 to help get all of these stupid uranium mines cleaned up?
22 A lot of times you talk to a family that says how did manage 23 to budget for your family? We just did it. That's what they say. They don't 24 say we have this much money for him and her.
25 No, families are made right there and the money comes 26 when you make it, and you make it happen. So if the NRC is the one that is
61 1 making EPA not help us, then it's time that we opened that door.
2 We, as a family, know that generally will not hold because 3 me, my brother, know how this water can come down. See, the three mesas.
4 When they get rain the perky here fills up and it tears up everything down the 5 road.
6 It buried a 16-foot pipe that the mine put in for a bridge. At 7 first the pipe builders only burial place and then the whole weight of it just 8 shoved it right into the ground and here is only four feet sticking out. That's 9 how powerful the water is.
10 On top of that, if you see this little trailer out here, that's 11 considered a 1,250 pound trailer. Why are we putting an elephant on there 12 and trying to drive it around when we do the same thing with that tailing and 13 put on that mineral site that's already covered and now we're going to uncover 14 it so we can put some more stuff on it.
15 We know what's gotten underneath there. We know what 16 that line is going happen, what's going to happen to it. We don't have to be 17 educated. We know what weight does.
18 If you guys look at things like the Hoover Dam, the Grand 19 Canyon Dam, those weights of the water causes earthquakes. People don't 20 realize that. That's probably what will happen to that thing, too.
21 We do not know what the weight of things do. We're not 22 under there. So when we take time to try to tell people something, like 23 grandma here was talking, why do we get taken to the Fort Sumner.
24 It was the government that did it to us. Why are we waiting 25 for the government to help us again? Please help us by the sense of (audio 26 interference). Why, is it the color of our skin? Are they just something that
62 1 we can throw away?
2 No, let them all die off and maybe we can be quiet then. Is 3 that where this kind of situation is going to lead to? I remember Mr. Ben 4 Shelly standing, sitting at an office down in Gallup, he said get this tailing out 5 of Navajo Nation.
6 Oh, okay, we'll move it right across. And that's what 7 happened. That's what they are wanting to do now. I know Tony Tom lives 8 down the road there and all that dust is going to hit him again.
9 This is not far enough for us. I'm sorry to say it's not only 10 one pile; there is a second pile. What are you going to do with the second 11 pile? We haven't talked to you about that.
12 This is the first pile. Nobody is looking at things in the 13 sense of future. They are waiting for us, like I said, to slowly die off.
14 In 2012 my mom died, lung complications. Guess what?
15 She said this thing will never be resolved and she died. I can still smell her 16 tortillas cooking in their kitchen. That was my mom.
17 So I am just telling you people what are we waiting for? We 18 are waiting for them, because I hear EPA saying what is NRC going to say 19 first. That's what I hear. I don't see them saying, oh, we're EPA, we can do 20 this. No. Let's see what NRC says first.
21 That's where a lot of things are being held up but they, we're 22 regulated by certain things. Mr. Joe Biden can make a lot of money to do 23 with a lot of things, why don't we start making that money so we can have a 24 bigger inflation so we can help our mines get cleaned up.
25 Maybe it's a political stunt that they are here. I don't know.
26 But I'm just saying what my heart says, okay. This is me. You can say
63 1 things about me, but I am just saying that these are in my mind what Im 2 thinking.
3 So, please, like my daughter, Teri, here, she gave you a 4 mine tour. I really appreciate you young people, educating themselves so 5 we can talk to these people. I thank you for that.
6 Back then when I was growing up, we didn't know what 7 these words were. We didn't know what the -- see, even when we tried to 8 tell them we got exposed, the land is exposed, oh, that's no problem, that's 9 okay, and here the right word we are supposed to use was contaminated.
10 Even that they were on a scale to a one to ten you guys are 11 only a one because you're just exposed. We didn't know we were up there, 12 eight, and nine, ten.
13 See, even that. We don't use the right words then we are 14 just a by-something, you know, just get out of the way, you don't matter. So 15 that's all I have to say, because, why. What else can we say?
16 Maybe you could have came three years ago, four years 17 ago, ten years ago, but why now, you know. So help us. Thank you.
18 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: Ladies and gentlemen, 19 (Translation of Native language spoken: my relatives), just so you know that 20 we are going to be wrapping up here at 5:00, so (Translation of Native 21 language spoken: its getting to five almost).
22 So we have a few more speakers and then the speakers, 23 you can kick me later, but two minutes and on topic would be appreciated.
24 Thank you.
25 MS. HENIO: Hi. Good afternoon, Commissioners and 26 Navajo Nation. My name is Grace Henio. I live here for the lifetime that I
64 1 have been here put on this earth.
2 Commissioners, all I want to say is, please, listen to us.
3 Listen to my family. We have so many health issues on this because of the 4 uranium pile that we live in.
5 Do we want to leave? No, we don't want to leave this 6 beautiful land that we came to. We were born and raised here and we love 7 this land and we are not about to leave.
8 Some of our families have left already, but we want to stay 9 here and we are asking for help. We want you guys to clean up this toxic 10 waste and get it off our land, please.
11 I have grandkids who have asthma. I've got brothers and 12 sisters who have health issues. I've got my mom who died of cancer. This 13 is not a laughing matter. Clean our air. Clean our plants. Clean 14 everything around here. That's all I ask.
15 The other thing I also would like to say is, you know, toxic 16 waste does not belong here on the Indian Reservation. It's toxic to our 17 health, air, animals, plants, and our water.
18 So listen, please, remove it. From God's ears to my heart 19 I am begging you, please, remove it. Just like my brother said, Thomas, 20 Mother Earth will find a way to destroy what you guys want to put in our 21 backyard.
22 You are talking about a contamination repeat again. The 23 floods here are very drastic. They are going to demolish what you guys are 24 going to put in our backyard.
25 You guys are going to have a repeat, not only that, we've 26 got, the first time when this mine, I mean the waste broke, what has happened,
65 1 it went down the ditch all the way down to Puerco.
2 I have friends and family that live in Arizona whose family 3 have passed away because of cancer. We have got people that actually go 4 into the ditches taking a tractor, loading up dirt, and placing it into people's 5 backyards, playgrounds, baseball fields.
6 We're not going to be the only one that's, you know, 7 contaminate. Gallup is probably contaminated. The sports field, 8 everywhere. Just like now, everything is blowing. Look at our shirts.
9 Look at everything. We are all dusty. So, please, have a 10 heart. Thank you very much for listening to me.
11 MS. HOOD: Mr. Martin?
12 MR. MARTIN: If I may, Madam. (Translation of Native 13 language spoken: This one?). Okay. (Translation of Native language 14 spoken: Greetings gentlemen, greetings. Hello, all of you men and women.
15 I am from Pinedale.)
16 Larry, we stand with you brother. That's all it is.
17 Now we have been involved with this since 1979, July 16th, 18 when it broke. The first meeting we were told, we were promised, hey, 19 brother, don't worry about it, we're going to get you done in five years.
20 What the hell happened the next five years? Nothing.
21 What happened? Tonight you are going to say we are going to kick this can 22 ten more years down the road.
23 That's what you are here for, right? Hopefully you are 24 educated enough today with all of the comments that if you pack them take it 25 back, take it back to your office and get to work.
26 Environmental Protection Agency. (Translation of Native
66 1 language spoken: You too,) Superfund. Navajo Nation Superfund. Let's 2 get to work on it. All we hear is people fighting, fighting, fighting and nothing 3 gets done while we lose people here and my relatives from over the hill.
4 There is more water, underwater contamination issues 5 down in Pinedale. Brother Chris Shuey knows all about it, been serving the 6 chapter officially for 30 plus years and this place is going on 40 plus years.
7 Let's get it done, folks. Are we trustworthy? Are we 8 trustworthy? Are we trustworthy? Well, if you are, if you think you are, show 9 us, get this damn thing done.
10 MS. HOOD: Thank you. Mr. Robinson?
11 MR. ROBINSON: Thank you very much. (Translation of 12 Native language spoken: Greetings.) I appreciate the opportunity to talk to 13 you. Don't think we're talking about an engineered dam here.
14 This is just a pile of sand on a starter dam. No ground 15 penetrating radar. No concrete core. It's just a pile of sand on a pile of sand 16 and that is what GE is proposing as the best method.
17 No wonder people have trouble trusting the NRC who says 18 prime option, below grade, not on a flood plain, doesn't pass the test. There 19 is an operating uranium mill and disposal site in Utah on Federal land, 20 Crescent Junction, plenty of room for all of the tailings and the mine waste.
21 You don't like that, try Segundo Coal Mine north of the 22 Grants Mineral Belt, also 75-foot deep trench still being built, plenty of cover.
23 You can consolidate all of the monitoring costs at one site.
24 These operating costs are going to eat you up. This wind and this sun are 25 energy sources. We can pay for the cleanup by generating energy at the 26 sites where the cleanup is needed.
67 1 No sense buying gas. My car is a hybrid plug-in. You can 2 get the trucks to haul this stuff without burning gas.
3 One last thought, the EPA has refused to put a grade 4 separation in for the road that is going to carry the mine waste to the tailings 5 all under their plan. Thirty thousand trucks, 30 tons a piece, that's a million 6 tons and that's before you even find the bottom.
7 So that's a road that the kids that Tony Hood was talking 8 about take to school every day. Can't put a grade separation in, not 9 innovative technology.
10 Come on, we can try harder. We can set a higher 11 standard. People don't trust the uranium industry because they don't act like 12 good Boy Scouts. They won't put things away better than they were before.
13 You can help them. Again, thank you very much, 14 appreciate your time.
15 MS. HOOD: Thank you. Linda?
16 MS. WILLIAMS: (Translation of Native language spoken:
17 Greeting, Im Linda Williams.) I just live like down the road along the wash 18 about 11 miles west.
19 So I just am thankful for giving me this time. The 20 Commissioners, please, I am just here to plead with you guys to help the 21 community, my people. We have been pleading with you for years and it's 22 far too, gone too far pleading with you guys.
23 It seems like it's just the cost is holding up. So there was 24 a guy that said about allocation and stuff like that, I know that is going to be 25 done, that can be done.
26 So we are, my people are really emotionally, mentally, and
68 1 physically affected by this and to this day I was just wondering now and every 2 day almost, we are still nervous.
3 Is it safe to cross the ditch, which we do every day. We live 4 down there. We use the wash every day, especially like now it has blown 5 into our areas. So, you know, you just wonder what do we tell our kids, it's 6 okay to play?
7 Like we used to play in the ditch when we were growing up 8 and I'm telling my kids, my grandkids, to stay out of the ditch. So we're just 9 waiting for the day for you guys to say it's safe, the waste is taken far away 10 from you guys.
11 So we are pleading with you, we are eager, and going to 12 answer. Please, I beg you, so my people, my community, will be whole again 13 and the land will be beautiful again.
14 We should be having a party, birthday party or something, 15 instead of having this issue here. So we -- It's about time we put a stop 16 somehow. Let's work together and find a way, find a solution.
17 And just like grandma, she has been at it for years and her 18 years are, she is up in her years, she wants an answer, too. So I thank you, 19 Commissioners and Mr. Nez, President Nez, thank you very much.
20 (Translation of Native language spoken: Every one of you 21 who are present, I thank you. I appreciate you. Stand strong. We stand 22 together and reunite. That's the only way it will happen and so thank you 23 again.)
24 MS. HOOD: (Translation of Native language spoken:
25 Everyone of you who are present, I thank you very much. Okay. A big 26 thank you. So we saved the best for last, Jonathan.)
69 1 PRESIDENT NEZ: (Translation of Native language spoken:
2 Greetings to you Edith, and greetings to you, my relatives and people. Yes, 3 thank you, to our relatives and those of you that have gathered here and Edith 4 and you stand here and your relatives, you stand for your relatives.
5 That's how this was brought together, Mr. Keyanna, and 6 those of you that live here, Red Water Pond Road community. You have 7 shown us all the information and all the proof here today.
8 You have shown us what your concerns are by speaking to 9 the federal government. Shown them what the proofs are. So you guys are 10 all working at the grassroots level to let us know what is going on.
11 Mr. Perry, thank you for giving us the information and 12 speaking up to represent your people here in the Eastern Agency and the 13 Commissioners for being here.
14 I don't know, and I apologize for being late. Many of us say 15 something about being late, which is just an excuse, however, there is a fire-16 wild fire blazing near Flagstaff, AZ, which you know about. I was in Flagstaff.
17 There is a big fire going and we are also working on some highway, that there 18 was an accident on the highway as well.
19 So we're doing a good job. This is your day to speak and 20 talk about your concern. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is here to 21 listen to you and you spoke to them and thank you for all of this.
22 We are very thankful and supportive of you. This is the 23 President and he is the Chair and he was appointed recently by Joe Biden, 24 the President of the United States. He was appointed by President Biden.
25 That is why he is here.
26 That is why we met here. You have asked for it. You
70 1 were able to get these people down here and now that you have spoke to 2 them the whole day, you have pleaded with them, and they will meet again 3 tonight and you will also be, there is another meeting this evening where I will 4 represent you again.
5 I will also present your concerns. There are so many 6 health problems related to this uranium mine and the pandemic caused the 7 virus and we are also taking some steps to bring those numbers down.
8 Also, the cancer-related issues. There are so many people 9 that passed away. So we talk about those issues and you are still working to 10 abate the problems.
11 Work with your leadership. They will know. They will 12 know what your concerns are.)
13 Now I didn't want to take too much time, I just wanted to 14 express thank you to our Navajo citizens, again, in our own language.
15 I think Jonathan Perry mentioned, you know, the Navajo 16 nation, and I probably have some time later on at the Commission meeting, 17 so I won't be too lengthy here, but there is two ways the Navajo people helped 18 keep democracy here in this globe on Mother Earth.
19 One is through our language through the Navajo Code 20 Talkers and you saw many of our veterans sitting here today as well. Who 21 honors that sacred document, that sacred agreement, the Treaty of 1868, 22 where we all agreed, right.
23 We said, hey, U.S. if you are ever in trouble the Navajo 24 people got your back, and it's supposed to be reciprocal, right, and that's what 25 you heard today.
26 Chairman, Commissioners, there is a lot of, yes, frustration,
71 1 and maybe there is some harsh words that were here, but it's also about 2 healing. Many of them have been living with this frustration and this anger 3 for many years.
4 Today was an opportunity to let it all out and let this dust just 5 sweep it away, and that's all a part of healing. (Translation of Native 6 language spoken: Harmony/Balance restore our kin relationship with 7 everyone, thats our teaching). That's balance and restoration, and so I 8 applaud the community for their resilience.
9 You know, we've been in an era in Indian Country called 10 self-determination for, what, Jon, over, almost 50 years? Self-determination.
11 If it's true self-determination, then let's fulfill those promises that were made.
12 But I am hopeful, Chairman, I am hopeful, Commissioners, 13 with the new Chairman here, you know, President Biden put you in that 14 position, the Navajo people came out in large numbers, as you know, to put 15 that President in the White House.
16 And you know what, ladies and gentlemen, today, as was 17 mentioned earlier by Chris, we have never seen the NRC here on Navajo land 18 and we thank you and we know there is a brighter future for us and the people 19 who live here.
20 Now this is just one of many more areas on the Navajo 21 Nation. Twenty-seven thousand square miles of land, over 500 open 22 uranium mines. As a matter of fact, Congressman Tom O'Halloran is on the 23 other side of the Navajo Nation today to tour some mine sites.
24 And so we are vast but we are strong and we are resilient 25 and we are proud and we appreciate you all coming here on a beautiful spring 26 day, is that what we heard, and this is what our Navajo people live through.
72 1 Just imagine, with 500 open uranium mines on a windy day 2 a lot of that is probably in the atmosphere going eastward and it's no wonder 3 we need to re-authorize and put some amendments to the Radiation Exposure 4 Compensation Act as well.
5 But that's another fight that we have to do in Congress as 6 well. But there shouldn't be no reason, it shouldn't be a money-saying that, 7 oh, it's going to cost way too much to ship it elsewhere.
8 The Navajo people in this area have lived with this, lived with 9 this for a very long time. And so we plead with you, I plead with you as well, 10 Chairman and Commissions, let's get this waste and get it way far away from 11 the Navajo Nation. Am I right, everyone?
12 All right. Well, thank you again and we'll look forward to 13 speaking with you all again this evening at the Commission meeting.
14 (Translation of Native language spoken: Thank you.).
15 So I will turn the time over to you, Chairman. I appreciate 16 you.
17 CHAIRMAN HANSON: Thank you. Thank you, 18 President Nez, and, you know, thank you all for being here today. I am 19 deeply affected by what we heard today.
20 I think someone started off, maybe it was Mr. Yazzie, it was 21 certainly Mr. Shuey over here who mentioned the historic nature of the NRC 22 Commissioners, you know, venturing out of Washington or Rockville or, you 23 know, the Two Towers of Mordor, I think somebody mentioned that, and I 24 regret that very much on behalf of past Commissions.
25 I am sorry that this is a historic occasion. It shouldn't be a 26 historic occasion for leaders of a federal agency who have the sacred trust of
73 1 the American people, all of the American people, to protect people and the 2 environment, to come out of our offices in Washington and hear directly from 3 people in their homes.
4 I am deeply grateful and I appreciate, President Nez, the 5 comments of your mother asking us what we can contribute, because I think 6 that is part of our responsibility as public servants to ask ourselves that every 7 day and to ensure that we are fulfilling our mission to protect people and the 8 environment.
9 I would regret very much if someone came away with the 10 impression that the three of us being here was a political stunt. I think we 11 recognize the magnitude of the issue and the decision in front of us and we 12 take it seriously and that's why we wanted to come today.
13 Again, I just want to thank everyone for sharing your time, 14 the tremendous amount of effort that has gone in. I know there was new 15 construction associated with this meeting so we could get more people in and 16 we deeply appreciate that and this opportunity for you all and for us to hear 17 your stories and to learn.
18 You know, the other comment Mrs. Nez had for us was that 19 we don't understand, and I thought, you know, she's right, I don't. As 20 someone said we're here for a day and you all live with this every day and I 21 think we have to recognize the magnitude and the importance of that.
22 But we want to understand and that's why we are here and 23 I look forward to hearing more tonight at the meeting. We are going to hear 24 more from you, Mr. President, more from you, Director Shirley and Ms. Hood, 25 among a number of others, our partners at the Environmental Protection 26 Agency and the Department of Energy.
74 1 I look forward to continuing our discussion. So thank you 2 very, very much again.
3 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: Okay.
4 (Off-microphone comments.)
5 DIRECTOR SHIRLEY: Yes, we do. (Translation of 6 Native language spoken: That is the length of our meeting here my relatives 7 and people here, we are very thankful for your participation as well.) I am 8 very thankful that you are all here and we will see you again this evening.
9 Maybe she is getting ready for the meeting.
10 MS. HOOD: Okay, guests, so when you are driving out 11 when you are leaving please drive very slowly because you don't want all that 12 dust in our face. Thank you.
13 (Whereupon, the above-entitled matter went off the record 14 at 5:04 p.m.)