RIO ARRIBA COUNTY, N.M. (KRQE) – A New Mexico county is pushing back against a proposed uranium drilling project. While county officials know they don’t have the authority to stop the project, they say they’re doing what they can to minimize the damage to the environment.
It was standing room only on Thursday as Rio Arriba County commissioners unanimously passed a resolution requiring that exploratory mining operations not move forward until every federally mandated environmental review is completed. It demands a moratorium on moving forward until a full environmental impact statement (EIS) is complete, and that abbreviated versions of that review will not suffice.
Tirzio J. Lopez sits on the Upper Chama Water & Soil Conservation District board. He originally learned about Gamma’s proposal through a Source New Mexico article. After that, he said he wrote a resolution outright opposing the project, but the District asked him to go back to the drawing board to draft something more digestible.
“So I went down that road towards a moratorium to seek an environmental impact statement in lieu of a straight opposition, and make sure that we, the district, was not trying to change the law, but trying to make sure that it’s going to be followed during this process,” said Lopez.
The resolution cites several federal statutes and judicial precedents that Lopez said give the resolution its teeth. Some include the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the National Historical Preservation Act, and the Forest Service Surface Management Regulations.
“Referencing our federal statutes, I believe it did give us more teeth and showed us that we want to cooperate. We don’t want to go outside of the law, but we want a seat at the table to ensure that those rules, specifically, those laws, are followed,” he said.
Whether the proposal, known as the “Mesa Arc Project”, moves forward is up to the U.S. Forest Service. Canada-based Gamma Resources wants to drill 10-12 boreholes in the Chama watershed near the community of Canjilon, which sits about 30 miles north of Abiquiu Reservoir.
The Upper Chama Conservation District stated in the resolution that the proposal presents significant risks to the surrounding resources, citing the radioactive nature of uranium and legacy contamination suffered by northwestern New Mexico and Navajo Nation communities.
The resolution calls for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to examine all potential hydrological effects, including spill scenarios and groundwater risks. It also calls for a review of impacts on acequia-dependent and tribal and puebloan communities, and land-grant mercedes.
It also wants an analysis of surface damage and potential impacts on wildlife habitats and corridors.
It also calls for robust discourse among all stakeholders in the community.
Lopez said he hopes that all of New Mexico, not just northern residents, pay attention to this because the water system is very connected here, and the entire state could be impacted if any type of contamination were to occur.
“Our water is not either red, blue, or purple. It’s clear. It needs to remain clear and transparent, and we can’t let the livelihoods of our tribal leaders and entities, cultural users, and communities be affected by uranium,” he said. “We need to try to work together, cross party lines, and protect what God gave us.”
Rio Arriba County Chairman Moises Morales said during a phone interview from his farm, the goal of the resolution is to do what he believes the forest service won’t. He claims historically they have been irresponsible stewards of the lands, highlighting historical grievances, including civil rights investigations and land grant violations.
“They’ll destroy it if we don’t stop it. And the sad part is, it’s people from out of state. They’re not even from here, they’re from Canada,” said Morales. “What gives them the right to come to our community and pollute our lands?”
When asked if he thinks the resolution has teeth to it, he said, “It’s gonna have to have teeth, because if we don’t have teeth. We’re done. We’re done. These guys don’t have respect for Mother Nature. They don’t care. I mean, we have to make a better tomorrow for our treasures of tomorrow, our children and their children,” said the chairman.
A spokesman for the Carson National Forest said in a statement that they are currently reviewing the proposal to determine if it’s complete enough for them to consider. He added that once it is complete, they will determine the level of analysis. He added that this project is strictly exploratory and that an actual mining project is separate in federal law. He wrote, “If a proposal for mining were submitted, it would trigger its own separate and rigorous regulatory review and environmental analysis.”
If approved, this would be the first uranium operation in the state since the late 1990s.
