then & now
HISTORY:
Uranium mining began in the United States after World War II, in response to the needs of the U.S. government’s nuclear program. The Four Corners area of the southwestern United States was found to have accessible uranium deposits, and mining quickly spread throughout the region to include locations on Navajo and Laguna Indian lands. In the northern and western Carrizo Mountains near Cove, Arizona, uranium mining began in 1948, peaked in the years 1955 and 1956, and declined again to cease by 1967. More than 500 uranium miners died of lung cancer from 1950 to 1990. Hundreds more will die of lung cancer in the coming years, a study by the Public Health Service predicts.
WHY NOW?
There are two areas in our study that are under consideration for new mining projects. This has some local residents very afraid. The word Uranium conjures terrible stories and lasting impacts to live, land and water. Hydro Resources, Inc. and Homestake Mining Co. are currently planning developments in areas where incredible contamination has ooccurred as a result of mining in the 1950s-1980s, much of which was for use in nuclear weaponry. Today, people are looking to Nuclear Power as a replacement for fossil fuels in the face of global warming. People are seeing nuclear power as an answer to our depleted energy resources, but there are many elements of consider.