Navajo Nation, energy company at odds over uranium ore transportation

Navajo Nation leaders are unhappy with the transportation of uranium ore along the reservation on Tuesday.

President Buu Nygren said the transport from Energy Fuels was done without his permission and sent out law enforcement in hopes of stopping the transportation, which was unsuccessful. According to a news release, the nation is currently making guidelines for uranium ore movement.

“What was very disappointing today is that we were under the assumption that we would get 10 days or two weeks heads up if that this was going to happen,” he said in a statement. “Then, at the same time, we were made aware that transportation was not going to happen until October or November.”

The ore, transported from the Pinyon Plain mine, headed toward the White Mesa Mill in Utah, will be ultimately used for nuclear energy.

“This is an exciting day for Arizona,” Energy Fuels President and CEO Mark Chalmers said in a statement. “We are working together to combat climate change while meeting the growing demand for clean energy and reducing the country’s reliance on Russia for uranium and critical minerals.”

The company said they followed legal and safety guidelines, including when it comes to radiation concerns. The news release from the company added that a stakeholder meeting on July 19 with officials at different levels of government, including tribal ones, took part, but it’s unclear if the Navajo Nation leadership was in that briefing.

“Tens of thousands of trucks have safely transported uranium ore across northern Arizona since the 1980s with no adverse health or environmental effects,” Chalmers added. “Materials with far greater danger are transported every day on every road in the county. Ore is simply natural rock. It won’t explode, ignite, burn or glow, contrary to what opponents claim.”

The dispute caught the eye of Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, who said in a statement on Wednesday that it was brought to her attention by Navajo Nation leadership and Coconino County Supervisor Patrice Horstman over the notification timeline.

“Per these conversations, I was informed that EFRI and the mine owners had vowed to give all of the stakeholders at least a two week notice prior to hauling of the uranium ore from the mine to a processing facility in Blanding, Utah,” Mayes said in a statement. “I was also informed by Supervisor Horstman that the County and other stakeholders had asked for EFRI’s emergency plan on several occasions, yet they had still not received it from the company as of yesterday.”

“My office is currently researching our options, but I remain deeply committed to doing everything in my power to protect the health and safety of all Arizonans,” Mayes continued. “Hauling radioactive materials through rural Arizona, including across the Navajo Nation, without providing notice or transparency and without providing an emergency plan is unacceptable.”