Native American Politics Today
Issues Today:
Nuclear Waste Deposits and Uranium Mining
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____Nuclear Waste Desposits____ __and Uranium Mining__
"More than half of all uranium desposits lie under [Native American] reservation land." -NCSE
___Nuclear power plants not only produce tons of contaminated machinery pieces each year that have to be disposed of, but they "cannot operate without regular, deliberate releases of radioactive liquids, gases and particles into the environment during their routine, everyday operation." The affects of exposure to radiation include "programmed cell death (apoptosis), genetic mutations, cancers, leukemia, birth defects, and reproductive, immune, cardiovascular, and endocrine system disorders." The dangers not only affect humans, but also the environment. Radioactive particles can leak into water sources and into the air (Nuclear Information and Resource Service).
___There are two types of nuclear waste: "low-level" and "high-level". These are based on how radioactive the waste is. High-level nuclear waste makes up 95% of the radioactivity produced by nuclear power plants. Neither type is safe for human exposure, and the level of radioactivity decreases at an incredibly slow rate. The contaminated parts remain radioactive for anywhere from thousands to several billions of years (Nuclear Information and Resource Service).
___Uranium mines expose nearby communities to similar health hazards since uranium is one of the elements used for nuclear energy. The Jackpile mine in New Mexico is a good example of long-term affects on people. This mine is part of the "largest known United States deposit...lies partly under the Navajo, Acoma, and Laguna Indian Reservations. Discovered in 1950 by a Navajo sheepherder... [The mine] has accounted for one half of all United States uranium production since then." And "from 1955-1968, a number of mines and mills were operating...on the Navajo Reservation. A government-sponsored study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1984," sixteen years after the mines were closed, "confirmed exceptionally high rates of lung cancer among Navajo uranium miners" (Center for World Indigenous Studies).
___Because the Native American population is, on average, about 50% below the poverty level, they are a large target for the government to pay to take in nuclear waste on their reservations. Because of the reservations' sovereignty, they make up their own environmental protection laws; this increases their appeal for nuclear waste deposits as well. Today, "more than half of all uranium deposits lie under [Native American] reservation land" (Knudsen, NCSE). The Native American communities are aware of the severe impact nuclear waste and uranium mining can have on both their land and their people. However, as many nations are struggling to support their people, they are forced to take in money any way they can.
___This issue produces rifts within the communities because there is a divide between those who believe they must take the opportunity to receive money and those who remain opposed. It's clear that no Native American nations accept nuclear waste deposits or agrees to allow mining on their reservations. However, they are not given much of a choice. Without the money they may be forced to reduce aid given to the members of their communities.
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