NO URANIUM MINING IN CHURCHROCK, NEW MEXICO UNTIL LEGACY WASTE IS CLEANED UP

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, July 23, 2012
NO URANIUM MINING IN CHURCHROCK, NEW MEXICO
UNTIL LEGACY WASTE IS CLEANED UP
CHURCHROCK, N.M. — On July 19, 2012, the uranium mining company Hydro Resources Inc.
signed an agreement with the Navajo Nation giving the mining company limited access across
Navajo Indian Country to its Churchrock Section 8 mine site. The agreement specifically states
that Hydro Resources (a subsidiary of Uranium Resources Inc.) cannot begin mining uranium
until legacy waste at Section 8 and adjacent Section 17 has been cleaned up.
Hydro Resources announced its intention to mine uranium on Section 8 and Section 17 in 1994.
Community members organized themselves as the Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium
Mining (ENDAUM) and sought the help of the nonprofit law firm New Mexico Environmental
Law Center to keep irresponsible uranium mining from returning to Navajo lands. ENDAUM
has kept the fight going for over a decade and Hydro Resources has yet to break ground.
ENDAUM’s mission is to ensure that the water, air, land and community health are protected.
Leona Morgan, ENDAUM Coordinator explains, “ENDAUM believes it is our right as
Indigenous Peoples to preserve our traditional and cultural Diné resources that may be affected if
uranium mining is allowed anywhere within the Four Sacred Mountains or on other Indigenous
Peoples’ homelands. ENDAUM and our allies will continue to fight for the right to safe drinking
water supplies for all life, for all our relations and future generations,” says Morgan.
“Hydro Resources’ parent company, Uranium Resources Inc., is struggling to pay for clean-up at
its uranium operations in Texas,” says Eric Jantz, attorney for ENDAUM. “We're skeptical that
Hydro Resources will be able to pay for clean-up at Church Rock. In any event, ENDAUM and
the people of Church Rock will be watching Hydro Resources and the Navajo Nation to ensure
that their land and families are protected.”
The Navajo Nation fined Hydro Resources for trespass earlier this year when the company
crossed tribal trust land in order to access its property on Section 8. The agreement was made to
allow Hydro Resources limited access to Section 8 and require that Hydro Resources submit to
Navajo Nation jurisdiction for its operations in Indian Country as well as clean up the radioactive
waste on its property before any new mining commences.
“The Navajo Nation doesn't currently have clean-up regulations under its Superfund law — those
regulations will have to be written,” says Morgan. “ENDAUM will be engaged in this process to
ensure that the highest clean-up standards are adopted to protect the community.”
Interviews and Images Available Upon Request
CONTACTS:
Leona Morgan
Coordinator
Eastern Navajo Diné Against Uranium Mining
leona@endaum.com
Cell: 505-879-8547
Eric Jantz
Staff Attorney
New Mexico Environmental Law Center
ejantz@nmelc.org
Cell: 505-980-5239
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
http://nmenvirolaw.org/index.php/site/cases/hydro_resources_inc._uranium...
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