When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) came to Grants for a public meeting last week, they attempted to keep the conversation to general uranium issues.
But community members who attended also wanted to talk about the proposed Roca Honda uranium mine and the lack of legacy waste cleanup. Community members expressed concern that the Forest Service’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) did not accurately represent the health impacts to their water, families and communities.
The EPA expressed the same concern when they reviewed the DEIS for the mine in June. They said it contains “inadequate information” and recommended that the Forest Service address the concerns and provide the public with more time for comment on a revised DEIS.
The EPA also agreed to urge the Forest Service to hear residents’ concerns by conducting more community outreach in McKinley and Cibola counties around the proposed mine. This kind of outreach is crucial and will also provide important information about impacts already being felt by these communities.
We need your help to put pressure on the Forest Service to revise their DEIS so that New Mexicans know what’s at stake. Ask five of your friends to sign the petition.>>
In short, New Mexico’s water—and in turn, all of our lives—are not being protected in the permitting process for the Roca Honda uranium mine. CVNM, along with other organizations working to raise awareness of ALL impacts of new mining, is working to ensure that the Forest Service incorporates the EPA’s critical feedback.
You can help us put pressure on the Forest Service to fully include information about all potential impacts the mine may have on our communities by sharing our online petition with five of your friends.>>
