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The Department of Energy (DOE) will be holding a meeting of their "Host State Technical Coordinating Committee" on Tuesday, January 28, 1997 in Laughlin, Nevada where they will discuss the proposed Ward Valley "low-level" radioactive waste dump. The DOE invited state and nuclear industry officials to make presentations at their meeting, BUT FAILED TO OFFER ANY SIMILAR INVITATION TO THE IMPACTED TRIBES THAT RESIDE ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER.
The proposed radioactive waste dump is being sited in an area that is sacred to the Fort Mojave and other tribes in the area. The proposed Ward Valley site is not within the reservation boundaries of the tribes, however, it is within Native traditional lands that have sacred and culturally significant value to the Native Peoples. The site is home of the desert tortoise an endangered species. Plans are to bury long-lasting and highly dangerous radioactive wastes from nuclear plants in shallow, unlined trenches. Ward Valley is located directly adjacent to the new Mojave National Preserve and is surrounded by eight designated Wilderness Areas. The proposed nuclear dump site is right above a major aquifer and 18 miles from the Colorado River. The push for the Ward valley dump comes from the powerful nuclear energy and nuclear research industry lobby group looking for a cheap grave for their radioactive waste and a way to transfer liability for nuclear waste to the taxpayer.
The Ward Valley dump contractor, US Ecology, has left a trail of leaking dumps and litigation across the United States. The DOE has announced that they will arrive at Ward Valley at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 29,1997 to have a tour of the proposed radioactive waste dump. The site is located 22 miles west of Needles, California, near the Water Road exit off Interstate 40.
Steve Lopez, Fort Mojave Ward Valley Director has announced that Native tribal leaders, community members, traditional elders and environmental justice activists will gather at the entrance to Ward Valley at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, January 29, 1997 to greet the U.S., state and nuclear industry officials.
A traditional Native ceremony will be taking place at the site awaiting the tour visitation of the U.S., state, and nuclear undustry delegates. The Native representatives and environmental supporters will express their opposition to the proposed dump, and CALL UPON PRESIDENT CLINTON TO INTERVENE TO STOP THE DUMP AND RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENTAL, CULTURAL, AND SPIRITUAL CONCERNS OF THE NATIVE ELDERS AND TRIBES THAT LIVE ALONG THE COLORADO RIVER. The Fort Mojave, Chemehuevi, Quechan, Cocopah, and Colorado River Indian Tribes have formed the "Colorado River Native Nations Alliance" to stop the dump and protect the Colorado River and Ward Valley, places of sacred significance to the tribes.
The tribes consider Ward valley sacred homeland and have vowed to defend their traditions, land, water, air, and culture. The tribal councils of the five tribes, their traditional elders, and tribal grassroots members are standing united in their fight against this proposed waste dump. The Fort Mojave have put out a call for support at this meeting so that there would be a continued strong message that the siting of this radioactive dump at Ward Valley makes no sense. The Indigenous Environmental Network, Ward Valley Coalition, Greenpeace, and many other Native and non-Native support groups continue to stand in defense of the Indigenous rights of the Fort Mojave, Chemehuevi, Quechan, Cocopah, and Colorado River Indian Tribes to protect their families from the contamination of leaking radionuclides from the dump.
FIGHT ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE!
Come and support the Colorado River Native Nations Alliance and the Ward Valley Coalition in their stance on January 29, 1997. WE MUST ACT NOW! Call, write, email and fax President Clinton. Tell him to protect Colorado River from radioactive contamination, honor his commitment to the Indian tribes and to protect tribal land, water, cultural and sacred sites and to preserve Wilderness and to protect critical habitat for endangered species. President Bill Clinton, The White House, Washington, D.C. 20500, Phone (202) 456-1414, Fax (202) 456-2461, e-mail: president@whitehouse.gov
For more information:
Steve Lopez, Ft. Mojave Tribe, (619) 326-4591 or
Save Ward Valley Office (619) 326-6267
To provide letters of support:
Fort Mojave Indian Tribe, 500 Merriman Avenue, Needles, CA 92363
Chemehuevi Indian Tribe, PO Box 1976, Havasu Lake, CA 52363
Cocopah Indian Tribe, County 15 and Ave G, Somerton, AZ 85350
Quechan Indian Tribe, Fort Yuma Indian Reservation, PO Box 11352, Yuma, AZ 85366
Colorado River Indian Tribes, Route 1, Box 23B, Parker, AZ 85344
Other dates to be aware of:
January 31, 1997, at 9:00 am, the Tribes
will take their concerns to the Southwestern Low-Level Radioactive Waste
Commission meeting in Needles. Nuclear Free Newe Sogobia Gathering, and Indigenous Anti-Nuclear Gathering on the west side of Yucca Mountain, March 21-23, 1997.
Sponsored by the Western Shoshone National Council with Citizen Alert Native American Program as host. For more info contact: Ian Zabarte, Nuke Free Newe Sogobia Gathering Organizer (702) 796-5562 or Virginia Sanchez, CANAP Director (702) 827-5511 or (702) 863-0258. Healing Global Wounds, March 27-31, Nevada. For more infomation, contact Healing Global Wounds (408) 338-0147. They are preparing for a 13-day series of diverse events
at the Nevada Test Site, March 23 - April 4, 1997. Ward Valley Spring Gathering,
April 25-27, 1997 at the Ward Valley site, California
INDIGENOUS ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK
P.O. Box 485 Bemidji, MN 56619-0485
USA Ph: (218) 751-4967 Fax: (218) 751-0561 e-mail: ien@igc.org
web page: http://www.ienearth.org