Morgan Pritchard- Uranium in Navajo Nation

 In another class, we recently discussed nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is beneficial because it does not emit greenhouse gas emissions or require fossil fuels, but there are still drawbacks. I saw one of these downsides first-hand when I went to Navajo Nation this summer in Arizona. In the mid-1900s, Navajo Nation was home to many uranium mines that helped supply nuclear weapons and energy. The government came in, used open mines, and left when the project was completed. There are many open mines still in Navajo Nation and this uranium has a huge impact on the people there. 

During my trip to the reservation, residents would point out spots of yellow on the ground in the near distance, which we learned were uranium. One farm owner said that these spots surround her farm and she recently had to kill all of her sheep because they had been exposed to the uranium when grazing. She normally sells these sheep to make income, but they are now contaminated. The uranium is also affecting the water supply in Navajo Nation. With the already limited water supply, having contaminated water is all the more detrimental. She also mentioned the health effects like the likelihood of getting cancer from the radioactivity.

The government is not doing anything to help other than closing the mines. But it is too little, too late. As I previously mentioned, Uranium already covers the ground and is affecting groundwater. Residents have already had serious health effects and closing the mines 80 years later is not helpful. I think this is an important story on environmental justice because the Navajo people have been ignored for years and are suffering from the impacts of the uranium mines.

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