Native America Calling

Today, September 17- The toxic legacy of abandoned mines

The Trump Administration promises new efforts to clean up mineral mining sites that continue to contaminate water, soil and air decades after the companies that started them pulled out. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it’s opening up offices to focus on tracking and cleaning up the environmental threats from abandoned mines in several Western states. There are more than 500 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation alone. Tribal leaders and environmental advocates are cautiously optimistic, praising any progress toward addressing the lingering threat of former gold, mercury, uranium and molybdenum mines. But critics remain skeptical about the commitment for taking on such an expansive and expensive operation.

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