Navajo Tribe agrees to allow uranium shipments, ending six-month standoff
Energy Fuels reached an agreement with the Navajo Nation to resume transport of uranium ore on the nation’s territory after a six-month standoff that halted production at the company’s Arizona mine.
The Colorado-based miner will restart shipments along federal and state highways that cross the vast territory in northwestern Arizona in February, allowing uranium ore to reach its processing mill in Utah, Energy Fuels said in a Wednesday statement.
In exchange, the company said it agreed to several additional protections and accommodations requested by Navajo leaders. Those include: limiting uranium shipments to specified routes and hours, a clear emergency response procedure, obtaining Navajo transport licenses, cover systems that prevent dust from transport trucks and additional inspection procedures.
The agreement ends a standoff that began in July, when Navajo Nation president Buu Nygren dispatched tribal police to intercept a shipment of uranium ore crossing the territory. The incident led Energy Fuels to halt transport from its Arizona operation to its Utah mill, which in turn shuttered output at the mine just months after it opened.
The incident reflects the broader tensions playing out between uranium companies and local populations as miners of the material seek to ramp up production. The price of uranium has risen 180% during the past five years as governments push to boost nuclear capacity to meet rising energy demand. Uranium miners in the US have started reviving once-idled operations and opening new, small mines.
Energy Fuels also said it agreed to relocate as much as 10 000 t of uranium waste from abandoned mines on Navajo territory at no charge to the nation. More than 500 abandoned uranium mines sit idle on the territory, left over from uranium production during the Cold War.
“I am personally honored that the Navajo Nation was willing to work with us in good faith to address their concerns and ensure that uranium ore transportation through the Navajo Nation will be done safely and respectfully,” Energy Fuels CEO Mark Chalmers in the statement.
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