Months after the Navajo Nation’s president said the trucking of uranium ore across the reservation showed “blatant disregard for our tribal sovereignty,” the tribe and a uranium mining company have reached an agreement for future transport to Utah.
Energy Fuels Inc. expects to once again truck uranium ore from its Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon to the White Mesa Mill in Blanding starting in February, the company announced Wednesday.
“We appreciate the sincere approach the Energy Fuels' negotiation team took with the Navajo Nation,” Heather Clah, the tribe’s acting attorney general, said in a statement.
“They demonstrated a genuine understanding for the Navajo Nation’s and the Navajo people’s trauma regarding uranium,” she said, “and engaged as a partner in good faith to build a trusting relationship.”
In a joint press release, the company and the tribe said they agreed to the following under their agreement about the transport of uranium ore across the reservation:
Transportation only on specified routes and hours of the day
No transport on days during Navajo Nation celebrations or public events
Emergency response procedures, notice and reporting requirements
Additional insurance requirements, driver qualification requirements and inspection procedures
Using “state-of-the-art cover systems to prevent fugitive dust” from truckloads
Escorts and blessings of transports at the tribe’s discretion
“We are proud to be a part of a historic agreement with the Navajo Nation, and we are committed to fulfilling our promises to them,” Energy Fuels CEO Mark Chalmers said in a statement.
“We hope this agreement marks the beginning of a constructive relationship that restores trust with our neighbors,” he continued, “while also paving the way for future collaborations on cleanups and other areas of shared interest.”
Alongside the company’s new commitments for the transport of uranium ore, Energy Fuels announced that it will accept 10,000 tons of uranium-bearing material from abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed that material, which he described as “low grade ore,” will go to the White Mesa Mill, the last conventional uranium mill in the U.S. There, it will be processed into yellowcake, the first step in creating fuel for nuclear reactors.
“The Navajo Nation has suffered longstanding impacts from uranium mining conducted during the cold war era, resulting in numerous abandoned mine and mill sites on their lands,” Chalmers said. “This has understandably caused mistrust toward the U.S. government and energy companies.”
An increase in the price of uranium and a global push for clean energy have motivated a renaissance in mining claims across the American Southwest. This surge has met resistance from people who cite concerns about the impact of uranium mining and milling on the environment.
“We’re pleased for the Navajo Nation that it has reached an agreement addressing the Nation’s objections to transporting uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine across its lands,” said Amber Reimondo, energy director at the environmental nonprofit Grand Canyon Trust, in a statement.
“Yet broader problems with the Pinyon Plain Mine and the White Mesa Mill remain,” she added, “and in their objections to the mine and mill, the affected communities and tribes — including the Havasupai Tribe, the Navajo Nation, and the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe — will continue to have our support.”
In July 2024, Energy Fuels sent two trucks carrying uranium ore from Arizona to Utah across Navajo land. At the time, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said he wasn’t notified of the transport and deployed tribal police to apprehend the trucks, but they had crossed into Utah.
Nygren then issued an executive order banning the transport of ore across the reservation for six months. Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs negotiated a deal between the company and the tribe to discuss safety concerns, and in late August, the Navajo Nation Council passed legislation strengthening its regulations for the transportation of uranium ore across its lands.
“Today marks an important step forward for our communities and shows what is possible through collaboration, partnership, and a shared commitment to public safety,” Hobbs said in a statement Wednesday.
