The Navajo Uranium Ban: Tribal Sovereignty v. National Energy Demands

摘要

After more than a decade of litigation over uranium mining in Navajo country, new lines are being drawn in the battle for regulatory control. On one side, the Navajo Nation, grassroots Navajos, the environmental community, and a number of U.S. Senators argue that the Nation's ban on uranium mining should be upheld, based on tribal sovereignty. On the other, uranium mining companies, holding mining rights on thousands of acres, and backed by state and federal officials, argue that the lands in question are subject to state, not federal or tribal jurisdiction, and have begun petitioning in earnest for development permits.