Following a recent federal study's findings that about a quarter of participating Navajo women and some infants had high levels of uranium in their system from Cold War-era mining on their land, two federal lawmakers from Arizona disagreed on whether today's mining practices pose a health threat.
The Associated Press reported on Oct. 7 that the University of New Mexico's early findings in the study revealed that about 26% of the 781 Navajo women screened had higher concentrations of uranium in their systems than the highest 5% of the U.S. population. The U.S. extracted nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore from Navajo lands under leases with the nation from 1944 to 1986, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
U.S. Rep. Raul Grijalva, the Democratic chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, told S&P Global Market Intelligence that the effects of uranium contamination have a "long shelf life." The federal government should be thinking about investing in the people suffering as a result rather than planning the next spot to "sink a new mine," Grijalva said.
"In 40 years, science has not come far enough to deal with the consequences," Grijalva said in an interview. "If we proceed on the false premise that everything is safe now and it wasn't then, we're doing that knowing full well that there's going to be consequences."
Republican U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar, chairman of the Congressional Western Caucus and member of the Natural Resources Committee, said in a statement that today's uranium mining meets new Occupational Safety and Health Administration and mine safety laws and "does not present health risks."
"The mining of 70 years ago lacked the safety processes of today, just like cars, planes and factories were much more dangerous in the 1940s, 50s and 60s," Gosar said. "Uranium has national security importance and our nation needs a stable domestic supply."
Gosar also claimed he has been "the loudest voice" trying to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which provides compensation for claims related to nuclear testing and uranium mining employment.
In July, the committee passed Grijalva's bill to remove uranium from the critical minerals list and protect more than 1 million federal acres around the Grand Canyon from uranium mining. Democrats have said they fear the Trump administration plans to lift the moratorium on uranium mining around the canyon, while Republicans have countered that the practice is safer and involves a smaller footprint than open-pit mining techniques.
Gosar also previously argued that the bill would threaten national and energy security, given the nation's dependence on other nations for uranium. In 2018, the U.S. purchased 90% of its uranium from foreign nations, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Of that, 24% came from Canada, 20% from Kazakhstan, 18% from Australia and 13% from Russia.
Grijalva said he expects the legislation to be highly debated on the House floor later this month.
The study's results follow calls from Republican lawmakers for the Trump administration to reduce restrictions on uranium mining on federal land, Reuters reported Oct. 1. Trump formed the U.S. Nuclear Fuel Working Group in July to review domestic uranium production after refusing to impose quotas on output in the U.S.
It would be a mistake to subsidize an industry that "doesn't have its own legs," Grijalva said. Republicans will also have to conduct a political calculation on how big of a deal they want to make out of the Grand Canyon, uranium and nuclear weapons, he said.
"I think it's going to be harder for uranium mining to get back on its feet without a subsidy," he said, "and without the federal government … greasing the road for them."
The National Mining Association declined to comment on the study's results or the safety of uranium mining.
