No action on proposed legislation to remove In-Situ Uranium Mining Demonstration Project on Navajo Reservation

Navajo Council Resources & Development Committee's Subcommittee Vice Chairperson Leonard Pete and Chairperson Leonard Tsosie are working on a very controversial draft agreement between URI and the Navajo Nation for an In-Situ Uranium Mining Demonstration Project near Church Rock, N.M. The subcommittee was meeting with URI at the tribal Economic Development Division in St. Michaels, Ariz. on April 30, 2014. Photo by Marley Shebala.

Navajo Council Resources & Development Committee’s Subcommittee Vice Chairperson Leonard Pete and Chairperson Leonard Tsosie are working on a very controversial draft agreement between URI and the Navajo Nation for an In-Situ Uranium Mining Demonstration Project near Church Rock, N.M. The subcommittee was meeting with URI at the tribal Economic Development Division in St. Michaels, Ariz. on April 30, 2014. Photo by Marley Shebala.

The Navajo Council Resources and Development Committee took up LEGISLATION 0104-14, which is to rescind the RDC’s legislation, RDCD-69-13. that created a RDC subcommittee to draft an agreement with Uranium Resources, Inc., for an In-situ Uranium Mining Demonstration Project near Church Rock, N.M. RDCD-69-13 also acknowledged the right-of-way and surface use by URI of its Church Rock properties, which the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensed with License No. SUA-1580.

And as RDC Chairperson Katherine Benally reviewed the previous actions of the RDC’s on LEGISLATION 0104-14, Delegate George Apachito, who is the sponsor of 0104-14, asked the RDC to remove his legislation from the RDC agenda. The VOTE was 4 in favor, 0 opposed.

Prior to the RDC vote, RDC member Delegate Leonard Tsosie, who is the RDC-URI Subcommittee Chairperson, informed the RDC that he takes 0104-14 seriously and RDCD-69-13 too.

I think we do take this seriously. The thing about it is, is that we/subcommittee are not doing anything illegal. There is no uranium mining. And when the Subcommittee has completed its task, it’ll take its report to the RDC and then to the Naabik’iyati Committee, where we’ll have a big discussion.

I respectfully ask Delegate Apachito not to bring back 01014-14 back to RDC for discussion which would allow the subcommittee to finish its work, return to RDC and then to Naabi.

After the RDC vote to remove 0104-14 from the RDC agenda, RDC Chairperson Katherine Benally reminded Tsosie and Subcommittee Vice Chairperson Leonard Pete that the RDC gave the Subcommittee a three to six months deadline. Benally added that she will place 0104-14 on the RDC’s Aug. 27, 2014, agenda.

And she said if RDC member Delegate Apachito wants to have 0104-14 on one of the RDC’s earlier meeting agendas, then that she will respect that.

Past actions by the RDC on 0104-14 were:
4-29-14: Main motion held by RDC members Delegates David L. Tom and RDC Chairperson Katherine Benally. RDC members Delegates Leonard Tsosie and Leonard Pete asked for 0104-14 to be tabled for two weeks pending the outcome of the Subcommittee’s meeting. Tabling Vote was 3 in favor, 2 opposed.
5-13-14: RDC concurred with RDC Delgate Leonard Tsosie’s request to bring back 0104-14 to the RDC on May 27, 2014, which would allow the Subcommittee to have a report by May 26, 2014.
5-27-14: RDC deleted 0104-14 from its agenda with instructions to put it back on the RDC agenda in 3 to 6 months.
6-9-14: RDC member Delegate George Apachito, sponsor of 0104-14, requests for his legislation to be put back on the RDC agenda.

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