Heinrich tours uranium sites on Navajo

 

RED VALLEY, Ariz.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., paused Friday at the entrance of an abandoned uranium mine.

Located in the stony hills of Red Valley and accessible only by four-wheel-drive vehicle, the mine stares blankly at the breathtaking vistas in this remote area where an estimated 175 mines once operated.

Although the entrance is sealed with a wall of cinder blocks, the mine remains a stark reminder of the uranium legacy on the Navajo Nation.

Heinrich, who met with tribal leaders and experts from the Navajo Division of Natural Resources on Friday, toured the site as he pushes for mining reform in the wake of the Aug. 5 spill at Gold King Mine.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has taken responsibility for the spill, which sent a 3-million-gallon, mustard-colored plume of toxic wastewater downriver, but Heinrich wants stiffer laws in place to safeguard the land and the people who depend on it.

“I think it’s time to change the law,” Heinrich told a small group of reporters after hiking down a rocky hillside to view the mine entrance. “I wanted to see what abandoned uranium mines look like to get a first-hand impression of the scale of the problem and have that really influence our efforts in Washington.”

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