PHOENIX — The Navajo Nation prepared Tuesday to test a tribal law that prohibits uranium from being transferred on its land by buying tribal authorities to stop trucks bring the mineral and return to the mine where it was drawnout in northern Arizona.
But before tribal cops might catch up with 2 semi-trucks on federal highways, they foundout the lorries under agreement with Energy Fuels Inc. no longer were on the booking.
Navajo President Buu Nygren pledged to bring out the strategy to enact obstructions while the people establishes policies over the veryfirst significant deliveries of uranium ore through the appointment in years.
“Obviously the greater courts are going to have to inform us who is right and who is incorrect,” he informed The Associated Press. “But in the meantime, you’re in the borders of the Navajo Nation.”
The people passed a law in 2012 to restriction the transport of uranium on the huge booking that extends into Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. But the law excuses state and federal highways that Energy Fuels hasactually designated as carrying paths inbetween the Pinyon Plain Mine south of Grand Canyon National Park for processing in Blanding, Utah.
Still, Nygren and Navajo Attorney General Ethel Branch think the people is on strong legal footing with a strategy for authorities to block federal highways, pull over motorists and avoid them from takingatrip further onto the booking.
Energy Fuels stated it started carrying the ore as prepared Tuesday and had notified federal, state, county and tribal authorities more than 10 days ago about the legal requirements, security, emergencysituation action and the impending shipping of uranium ore, though it didn’t provide a particular date. Spokesman Curtis Moore stated no one stated that wasn’t adequate.
“Tens of thousands of thousands of trucks have securely carried uranium ore throughout northern Arizona because the 1980s with no unfavorable health or ecological results,” the business’s president and chief executive, Mark Chalmers, stated in a declaration. ”Materials with far higher risk are transferred every day on every roadway in the county. Ore is merely natural rock. It won’t takeoff, fireup, burn or radiance, contrary to what challengers claim.”
The Arizona Department of Transportation and the Arizona Department of Public Safety