Navajo council outlaws uranium mining

[NVMojo]

Cheney and pals will not be happy about this ...

Apr 20, 2005, 09:58 pm

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Uranium mining and processing will be outlawed on the Navajo reservation if President Joseph Shirley signs a bill passed Tuesday morning by the Navajo Nation Council.

The Dine´ Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005, which as amended prior to the vote bans uranium mining and processing anywhere in the Navajo Nation, passed by a vote of 63-19.

Shiprock delegates Richard Begaye and Wallace Charley voted no on the measure.

Shiprock delegate Pete Atcitty, Hogback delegate Ervin Keeswood Sr. and Upper Fruitland delegate Lorenzo Bates voted yes.

The vote came after a heated debate focused on several amendments. One change that would have deleted a 25-year moratorium on uranium processing was defeated, while another passed that deleted the moratorium but called for processing to be unconditionally banned. The approved amendment also struck language that would have allowed individuals wishing to mine or process uranium to seek approval from several committees of the Navajo Council.

The final language read: “No person shall engage in uranium mining and processing on any sites within Navajo Indian Country.”

“It’s very simple, uranium kills,” said delegate Mark Maryboy of Mexican Water/Aneth/Red Mesa during the debate.


more...

http://www.daily-times.com/artman/publish/article_18006.shtml

[G_j]

1. good for them!

they have ben poisoned and ripped off long enough!

[GiovanniC]

2. Time For a New Trail of Tears

Bush'll git them redskins movin' to some worthless land right quick, I reckon.

[chlamor]

3. No More Stealing Thunder

[wuushew]

4. This is hypocritical

Coal kills far more people than any uranium related activities every did or will. Error! Will Robinson Error!


Indian Tribes with current or potential coal mining activities on their lands include:

Crow Tribe

Hopi Tribe

Navajo Nation

Northern Cheyenne Tribe

Southern Ute Tribe

Ute Mountain Ute Tribe

http://www.wrcc.osmre.gov/Indlnds.html

[DCDemo]

7. Coal is not used as a weapon to kill people

I think that's the difference...

[wuushew]

8. I stand by my statement

even factoring in atomic deaths due to American employment of nuclear weapons and poisoning during the cold war, the sum total of deaths from the use of coal starting from its first use in heating and in steel production onward far outstrips those of uranium.

This appears to be a argument based on intent and not one based on utilitarianism.

(On Edit) Coal can be used as a weapon as it has for centuries, to forge guns, to power the military industrial complex, to fire locomotive boilers in troop trains or ships of war.

[Zorra]

9. Uranium mining has caused a great deal of suffering for the people of

the Navajo Nation.

A brief history of uranium mining on the Navajo Nation:

http://dinecare.indigenousnative.org/history.html

[wuushew]

13. Thanks for that link

that group appears to do good work

[chlamor]

10. Be clear on this

there are many many in the Four Corners area who do not want Peabody stripping their land. the decision makers in the Tribal councils do not always reflect the will of the Native Americans. Sound familiar?

[Eloriel]

20. Even if your premise held water (which it doesn't)

by ALL means let's:

* hold the Navajo responsible for ALL native tribes

* hold them to a higher standard of coherence and (in your mind, I suppose) "integrity" than we hold any other individual or group of humans (ya might look at any given Repug in office, for starters)

* hold Navajo responsible for coal deaths in ways we don't hold the extraction industries themselves responsible for

Your post is highly offensive. I consider it racist.

[Zorra]

5. Yay Dine'! At least one government in this land has some common sense

"The Dine´ Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005, which as amended prior to the vote bans uranium mining and processing anywhere in the Navajo Nation, passed by a vote of 63-19."
:woohoo:
63-19?

The people of the US respectfully request that the Navajo Nation Council take full control of the US government ASAP.

Please?

[mtnester]

6. GW might get that lesson on the definition of "sovereign"

better get the dictionary out quick

So, any takers on when we invade the Navajo Nation? (again)

[burrowowl]

12. Good one!

:rofl:

[Point_n_click]

14. JDAMs falling in 3 ... 2 ... 1 ...

Afterall, they have a supply of accessable uranium, who's to say they won't try to make it into weapons to blackmail the U.S. government into surrendering ancient tribal lands back to them. Maybe they're holding the uranium back to get a better price on the terrorist black market. This calls for a pre-emptive strike to protect 'Merka from those heathen, non-white, savages!

[Colorado Blue]

11. Right on. nt

[azndndude]

15. I am Navajo and am PROUD of my Tribal Council!

It's about time. Uranium kills whatever it touches forever.

[NVMojo]

17. I'm proud of your Tribal Council too. They do better than our screwed

up Congress!!

[NickB79]

16. This ban will last maybe 10 yrs

Until dwindling fossil fuel supplies force us to build more nuclear reactors. Either that, or other areas will be mined in nearby communities.

[hunter]

19. Longer than ten years.

The United States has thousands of tons of "bomb" grade U-235 and plutonium horded away for military use, and so much "depleted" Uranium that we can afford to shoot up Iraq with it. A mix of "bomb grade" and depleted Uranium is what "conventional" reactors use as fuel. (Other reactor designs can use any sort of uranium or thorium for fuel.)

The history of uranium mining on Indian lands is very ugly. If the Indians choose to leave their remaining Uranium in the ground, good for them. It is a very reasonable and ethical decision.

[Moderator]

18. NVMojo

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
paragraphs from the
copyrighted news source.


Thank you.


DU Moderator

[chlamor]

21. .

[struggle4progress]

22. kick