Flagstaff Council To Pass Resolution Against Uranium Hauling
The Flagstaff City Council plans to vote on a resolution against the hauling of uranium ore through the city, even though it doesn’t have the legal authority to stop it.
The city attorney told the council it’s the U.S. Department of Transportation that makes those rules. Mayor Coral Evans spoke to the Canyon Mine operations director at a recent council work session.
“It bothers me that there are so many people, specifically indigenous people, who are living with the negative impacts of this,” Evans said. “So I’m just wondering have you considered a different way of securing your cargo through their communities?”
The federal government gave Energy Fuels permission in 2012 to truck uranium through Flagstaff, Williams and the Navajo Nation. The trucks are covered with tied-down tarps.
The majority of the council asked its legal staff to look into a legally binding ordinance. If the city passes such an ordinance, the city attorney warned, issues would arise with the federal government.
