January 7, 2025
MASE Supports EPA Decision that will Protect Uranium Impacted Communities
Navajo people living with uranium mine wastes in the Churchrock area since the late 1960s today praised a decision by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) that will pave the way for disposal of more than 1 million cubic yards of wastes at a regional landfill property where it can be safely stored forever.
EPA’s decision means that the low-level radioactive waste at the Quivira Mining Co. Churchrock Mine will be transported and disposed at the Red Rock Landfill property located approximately six miles east of the Village of Thoreau. The Red Rock Landfill property is owned by the Northwest New Mexico Regional Solid Waste Authority (NNMRSWA).
Residents of the Red Water Pond Road and Pipeline Road communities welcomed the decision, saying that disposing of the Quivira mine waste in a properly engineered disposal cell protects their communities and lowers the overall risk to current and future generations and to natural resources.
“I feel as though our community finally has something of a win,” said Teracita Keyanna, a member of the executive committee for Red Water Pond Road Community Association (RWPRCA). “Removing the mine waste from our community will protect our health and finally put us back on a positive track to Hózhǫ (balance).”