Statement of the Honorable Ben Shelly - Vice President, Navajo Nation

Mr. Chairman and Distinguished Subcommittee Members,

Good morning. My name is Ben Shelly and I am the Vice President of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Nation extends into the states of Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, covering over 27,000 square miles of unparalleled beauty. Diné Bikéyah, or Navajoland, is larger than 10 of the 50 states in America.

The Navajo Nation has fought on ongoing battle against uranium mining on our land for over fifty years and the impact is still being felt today. We are not only concerned about mining on Navajo land but also on lands near our Tribal lands.

Our land is dotted with contaminated tailings and hundreds of abandoned mines that have not been cleaned up. Our people have inhaled radioactive dust from the waste piles, drank contaminated water from abandoned pit mines and watered our herds with contaminated water. Our children have played in piles of mill tailings and spent mines. Our people suffer from high cancer rates and respiratory problems — cancer rates among Navajo teenagers living near mine tailings are 17 times that of the national average.

There has been a rush over the past five years to claim metals on public lands. Many of the claims are near such national treasures as the Grand Canyon and tribal lands. And, despite the ban on uranium mining on Navajo land, the mining industry is back, staking claims, buying mineral rights and applying for permits on the edge of Navajo land. They have made no secret of their desire to mine within the reservation also.

H.R. 2262, the Mining Law Reform bill, will help Tribal Nations in many ways. It makes it a priority to protect special places like sacred sites. It sets strong public health, environmental and cleanup standards. It creates an abandoned mine fund and it insures that our voices are heard and valued when mining decisions are made.

I have joined numerous Navajo Nation Tribal officials and community leaders in calling upon our own Congressman, Rick Renzi, to assist in passing this important legislation. With your permission, IĠd like to include copies of our letters to him here for the record.

We are today calling upon your Subcommittee to move quickly on H.R. 2262 so the outdated and unfair mining law can be reformed at long last. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to submit this statement today.