The Grants Mineral Belt extends into McKinley, Cibola, Bernalillo, and Sandoval counties, including surrounding tribal communities. Since the 1940s, uranium extraction has occurred in the Grants Mineral Belt. The NM Mining and Minerals Division has identified 259 mining sites in NM that produced uranium, 137 of those with no record of any reclamation. There are also three uranium superfund sites in the region. Several mines were abandoned which now pose severe health risks of and adverse environmental effects in nearby communities. A comprehensive health study of the Grants Mineral Belt communities has never been conducted. The state has no system in place to monitor health conditions as they relate to the uranium waste sites or industrial processes. By understanding the impacts industrial processes have on communities over time, health studies provide insight into community planning that supports sustainable development.
We, the undersigned, are concerned citizens who urge our leaders to act now to support comprehensive community health studies in uranium legacy waste communities, and to prohibit any new uranium mining and processing.
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