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| Multicultural Alliance for a Safe Environment Newsletter Issue # 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
 June Lorenzo, Eric Jantz, Tyler McKinnon, and Laura Watchempino
MASE Members Attend Public Interest Environmental Law ConferenceBy June Lorenzo and Laura Watchempino
The cultural and natural landscape of Mt. Taylor is threatened by the new uranium mining boom, as Watchempino pointed out during her presentation for the panel. According to Watchempino, several factors should be addressed by new mining projects in their environmental impact statements, including: legacy contamination of groundwater from previous mining projects, water quality data gaps, and . . . updated assessments of regional hydrology. To preserve the cultural landscape of Mt. Taylor and to protect the ecosystems and other natural cycles of the mountain, she also suggested that climate change and drought impacts to be added as considerations of environmental impacts before a new mining project is allowed to begin; and that as an alternative to approval of new mining projects, the US Forest Service should consider interagency collaboration between themselves, the US Geological Survey, the Environmental Protection Agency, and other relevant agencies. For her presentation, Lorenzo focused on using cultural and historic protection acts to preserve cultural resources threatened by mining and other development. She reviewed the February 4, 2011 decision issued in Reyellen Resources v. NM Cultural Properties Review Committee by the Fifth Judicial District Court in New Mexico and recounted the background leading to five tribes' (Acoma, Laguna, Zuni, Navajo Nation and Hopi) decision to seek a designation of Mount Taylor as a Traditional Cultural Property (TCP) under the New Mexico Cultural Properties Act. The decision of the NM Cultural Properties Review Committee, issued on September 14, 2009, was appealed by a number of private landowners in and near the TCP and well as a number of uranium mining companies. In the meantime, a number of legislative measures have been proposed to alter the authority of the NMCPRC in designating TCPs in the future. Other
topics discussed at the conference included the Clean Water Act, the
Forest Service Travel Management litigation trends, BP Oil Spill
litigation, and recent developments in both the Clean Air Act and
Grazing Act. There was also a screening of the film Return of Navajo Boy which
tells the story of Elsie Mae Begay, whose family history reveals an
ongoing struggle for environmental justice relating to uranium
contamination on the Navajo reservation.
Keynote speakers at the conference included Dr. Arjun Makhijani, author of Carbon-Free and Nuclear Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy (2007
) and Dr. Vandana Shiva, a trained physicist and author who has
established India's biggest network of seed keepers and organic
producers. The
University of Oregon and the Laguna-Acoma Coalition for a Safe
Environment funded a portion of the travel costs associated with
attending this conference.
New LogoAt
the top of our newsletter, you'll see MASE's new logo. MASE launched a
design contest earlier in the year for a logo that captures the mission
of MASE and is pleased to announce the winner of the contest: Kevin
Fogelson. The logo represents a window looking into New Mexico's
landscape. The feathers on the window provide the gentle touch of the
organization in hopes to nurture a healthy future for New Mexico and the
surrounding areas. Fogelson
teaches graphic arts and is a freelance graphic designer from
Grayslake, Ill., who has found success in entering design and art
contests "with good causes" throughout the nation.
"I appreciate the honor to design for such an awesome organization," Fogelson said. For more information about Fogelson and to check out more of his work, visit: www.kevinfogelson.com  In April, Native America Calling,
a nationally syndicated public radio program based in Albuquerque, NM,
featured two energy shows that sparked conversations about both tribal
energy programs and the connection between Japan and the nuclear waste
catastrophe in Church Rock, NM. Below are the program descriptions and
links to listen to the archived shows.
Monday, April 4, 2011: Tribal Energy Programs: (listen)
There
is a national debate about increasing domestic energy production and
many eyes are focused on tribal lands. Some of this country's most
valuable natural resources are located in Native America. The Department
of Energy's Office of Indian Energy is holding a series of meetings
with tribal leaders about tribal energy programs. Where does your tribe
stand when it comes to renewable energy, and oil and gas development?
How do tribes mobilize their energy plans and programs in an effort to
become self-sufficient?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011: Radiation Nations: (listen)
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MASE Affiliated Groups and AlliesMASE Core Groups
Bluewater
Valley Downstream Alliance (BVDA), Post-71 Uranium Workers Committee,
Laguna-Acoma Coalition for a Safe Environment (LACSE), Eastern Navajo
Dine Against Uranium Mining (ENDAUM), Dineh Bidziil
MASE Allies |
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