A cleanup effort funded by a $1 billion bankruptcy settlement is underway to reverse the devastating effects of uranium mine pollution on the Navajo Nation.
Hundreds of abandoned mines are scattered across their territory in Arizona and New Mexico, and on Aug. 31 theEnvironmental Protection Agency issued a request for bids, offering $85 million to environmental assessment firms that can document the damage and determine where best to focus resources.
“EPA’s contract is a vital step in the effort to clean up the legacy of uranium contamination in and around the Navajo Nation,” said Enrique Manzanilla, director of the EPA Superfund in the Pacific Southwest, in a press release.
Manzanilla added that the agency would prioritize Navajo businesses and individuals capable of doing the work.