New Mexico Indigenous Leaders Protest the Expansion of Uranium Mining and the Nuclear Cycle of Destruction

New Mexico Indigenous Leaders Protest the Expansion of Uranium Mining and the Nuclear Cycle of Destruction Demand a Clean Up of This Toxic Legacy and Respect for Sacred Lands Wednesday, May 26, Noon Grand Hyatt Hotel 1750 Welton Street, Denver, Colorado On May 25-27 a delegation of Navajo community leaders will come to Denver to protest US Government support for expanding the nuclear industry that has already had a devastating impact on Native American and Chicano communities in New Mexico. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the National Mining Association will host a “Uranium Recovery” conference designed to make it easier for mining companies to move forward with a new era of uranium mining. When the uranium boom ended over thirty years ago, mining companies skipped town and left New Mexico with a devastating legacy of sick communities—including high rates of cancers, respiratory diseases, reproductive disorders and miscarriages. They also left contaminated water, soil, and air. There are still hundreds of abandoned uranium mines in New Mexico, largely located on Navajo land and Pueblo lands, and state and federal agencies are only now beginning to inventory those mines and begin the cleanup process. Despite this toxic legacy and a Navajo ban on mining, uranium companies like HRI have dozens of mining projects they are trying to get permitted. One mine in particular, the Roca Honda Mine, is proposed for the sacred burial grounds on Mt. Taylor in Grants, NM. Despite heavy consequences to the health of the local communities and the environment, and the violation of sacred land, the NRC is trying to make this permitting process easier. It is time to end the cycle of violence perpetrated by the nuclear industry, from mining to weapons, to nuclear power and waste! It’s time to invest this money in good jobs, renewable energy, sustainable practices and respect for Indigenous rights! Please join in Solidarity with these Community Leaders to Protest the Expansion of Nuclear Industrial Complex and all efforts to renew uranium mining! This event is being organized by the Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment and the Think Outside the Bomb youth network for nuclear abolition. For more information contact: Think Outside the Bomb   disarmamentsummer@gmail.com, 718-290-6399