Navajo President Calls For Prompt Submittal of Church Rock License Amendment

Navajo Nation President Ben Shell called on the prompt completion of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission license amendment that would enable the cleanup of the Church Rock uranium mine site, according to a statement released late last week. The NRC Staff issued last week in the Federal Register a finding of no significant impact for amendments to the ground water standards at the United Nuclear Corporation Superfund site, where the Church Rock site is located. This environmental review should pave the way for the issuance of a license amendment by the NRC. “I appreciate the action taken by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on the final environmental review,” Shelly said in a statement. He added, “Again, I request that the license agreement request is quickly submitted, so that the cleanup of the northeast Church Rock mine can begin. There are hundreds of other sites across the Navajo Nation that must be addressed. We need swift action to cleanup these sites for the safety of the Navajo people.”

 

The Navajo Nation earlier this year received approximately $1 billion in a settlement that will aid in the cleanup of 50 abandoned uranium mine sites across the tribe’s land. The money comes in conjunction with a larger settlement from the Anadarko Petroleum Corporation, the parent company of Kerr-McGee Corporation, which agreed to a settlement with the Department of Justice for $5.15 billion, a record sum for the cleanup of environmental contamination in DOJ history. Following the issuance of a license amendment, the Church Rock uranium mine site would top the list of cleanup sites ready for remediation, the Navajo Nation has said in the past.