Letters | Thoreau High sophomores want no uranium waste in their town

Thoreau High sophomores want no uranium waste in their town

Editor,
We are writing to you today to gain essential exposure regarding the proposed uranium waste facility in Thoreau, New Mexico. Thoreau is situated on the Navajo Reservation, between Grants and Gallup.

We have reached out to various authorities, including Gov. Michelle Lujan-Grisham, USEPA, Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren, NMED, Council delegates, chapter houses, and Holtec, the company responsible for constructing the nuclear waste facility in our town.

From our understanding of the proposal, the plan involves transferring 500 barrels of radioactive waste from the Red Water Pond Road community to Thoreau. Additionally, they intend to clean up 19 other mines and relocate all that waste to Thoreau as well. The proposal is to move 10,000 barrels to Thoreau, bury it, and let it sit in perpetuity.

It is claimed that Thoreau, with a population of over 2,500, supports this proposal. However, most of our parents were unaware of this waste site and only two parents were familiar with it, neither of whom supported it. We demand evidence that our town actually favors this plan, as it is unlawful to make baseless claims about our desires.

We view this proposal as reminiscent of colonialism. Instead of selecting a nearby affluent white neighborhood, they have chosen to place the waste right in the heart of our town. Unfortunately, this aligns with the typical behavior of the federal government, which believes it can expose us to health hazards, desecrate our sacred lands, and make decisions on our behalf without our consent.

We recently discovered that the land allocated for the facility was sold by a private owner who had no inkling of the construction of a nuclear waste site. Consequently, the waste facility will now be situated in this resident’s front yard. We question whether there are any laws prohibiting this, and if not, we firmly believe such legislation should exist. This matter directly affects our entire community, and we are ready to fight for the necessary changes.

We implore you to listen to us. We are tired of being overlooked and taken advantage of, and if our voices remain unheard, nothing will ever change.

10th grade class
Thoreau High School
Thoreau, N.M.

Native American behavioral health reps needed

Editor,
I am a graduate student at ASU seeking my MSW. I am originally from Chinle and live in the Phoenix area. I am completing my last internship this year at Aurora Behavioral Health Psychiatric Hospital in Tempe. I am one of three Patient Care Managers (PCM) that are American Indian, and I have met 1 Navajo Behavioral Health Technician. After I leave in a few short weeks there will be only 1 Native PCM since the other Navajo PCM is moving back home to Navajo Nation.

I am deeply saddened that our American Indian patients will not see staff members who look like them. Our Native relatives seek emergency psychiatric care or alcohol and Fentanyl detox. I have completed assessments and facilitate groups. I meet our relatives from the Navajo, Hopi, Apache, Tohono O’odham, Zuni, Sioux Nations and tribal communities.

I am writing this letter to encourage Natives seeking employment in the Phoenix area to apply for a position at Aurora (pay is approximately $16 an hour jini). I provided cultural awareness to the treatment teams (BHT, PCM, Nurses) about clanships relations, geographic location of each tribal nation/community and awareness of the eclipse last year and today. I provide awareness of where tribal members are from and the distance between this hospital and the patient’s community and the sparsity of mental health care in our tribal communities.

Aurora is a great place to work and help Native relatives here both young and old. There are three adolescent units and the young relatives here have contemplated or attempted suicide and suffer from anxiety, depression, psychosis, etc.
Occasionally a relative may dismiss or refuse to complete an assessment by a non-Native therapist. I approach them with acknowledgment by asking them what tribe they are, where they are from and their clan if they have one. After that I get more cooperation and I am able to complete the assessment to get the adequate care they need.

I have also met relatives who were victimized by the fraudulent sober living homes. My full-time employment is a substance abuse therapist in Phoenix where I provide mental health and substance abuse treatment for clients who have DCS involvement or probation at well-known behavioral health providers in the Valley.

At my clinic, I am the only American Indian therapist. We need more tribal representation staff in the Behavioral Health hospitals and clinics. Aheehee.

Lee Zohaunnie-Russell, LASAC
ASU graduate student
Phoenix

Announce real truth behind hydrogen mining

Editor,
I’ve listened to KTNN as most of the people on the Rez. What I do not understand is: do they fact check the info they receive? Or is the cash flow more important?

My concern is the hydrogen mining. They’re saying there is no drilling and any use of water involved. But that is not true.

There is drilling, fracking and use of water to extract hydrogen. The main thing it’s expensive to do so.I know fracking is not a good thing. It causes earthquakes, toxic water contamination and maybe sink holes. My theory is gas pressure holding up in the earth gets released naturally or man-made. And the ground collapses. It may not be instantaneously. Or years later.

Is the NN EPA going along with this and in agreement with it? Did they weigh the pros and con? I believe it’s a con. Look at and listen to the ads. They brought in a Navajo to broadcast false claims.

Ernest Jones
Chinle, Ariz.

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