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Is it against Navajo Nation law to transport uranium across tribal lands?

By Carmela Guaglianone
YES

A 2012 law passed by the Navajo Nation Council prohibits the transportation of uranium and other radioactive materials across tribal land. Exceptions include cases when uranium is being relocated for disposal, as well as for transport using state or federal highways.

In 2024, after a dispute between the Navajo Nation and a mining company that claimed to fall under the exemption, President Buu Nygren issued an executive order reiterating that Navajo officials must grant permission to move uranium across tribal land.

While no Arizona or federal laws prohibit the transport of radioactive materials, the Navajo Nation is sovereign, or self-governing, with few exceptions.

The Navajo Nation has a fraught history with uranium mining. Studies have found disproportionately high rates of uranium exposure among residents, leading to adverse health effects including reproductive issues, hypertension and cancer.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
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