Uranium Threats to Mount Taylor (in LA)

Robert Tohe: Threats of Uranium Mining to Mount Taylor Traditional Cultural Properties

On July 16, 1979, an earthen-tailings dam at the UNC Church Rock Uranium Mill near Grants failed. The mill’s radioactive fluids spilled into the Puerco River and traveled downstream to Chambers, Ariz. This spill, combined with more than 20 years of discharges of untreated and poorly treated uranium mine water, has contributed to long-term contamination of the Puerco River. For many concerned with climate change, nuclear energy seems a safe alternative to carbon-emitting fossil fuels. Numerous environmentalists, however, oppose nuclear power, not only because of the fear of nuclear-weapons proliferation, but because of environmental and social-justice issues. Robert Tohe, a staffer for the Environmental Justice program for the Sierra Club, is currently supporting and assisting the Multicultual Alliance for Safe Environment concerning uranium-mining legacy issues and new threats to communities in New Mexico. Come hear about issues many of us haven’t considered when it comes to nuclear energy.

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