Nuclear push collides with Navajo uranium ban
By Donovan Quintero
Special to the Times
WINDOW ROCK – As the United States confronts soaring electricity demand and a tightening global energy race, nuclear industry leaders warn that the scale of expansion required to secure the nation’s energy future is unprecedented.
That urgency, however, collides with the Navajo Nation’s long-standing legal prohibition on uranium development, a policy rooted in cultural law, environmental harm and the principle that cleanup must come first.
“The need for nuclear power has never been higher than it is currently,” said Christo Liebenberg, the co-founder and president of LIS Technologies. “It’s driven by global warming. It’s driven by people with gadgets, electric vehicles, it’s driven by AI data centers.”
Liebenberg said the United States is already straining to meet electricity demand and risks falling behind other nations unless it rapidly expands nuclear generation.
To read the full article, please see the Dec. 18, 2025, edition of the Navajo Times.
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