Senator Kelly Applauds EPA Grant to Clean Up Abandoned Uranium Mines on the Navajo Nation

Today, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly released the following statement praising the Environmental Protection Agency’s announcement of $415,000 in grant money that will go towards continued remediation of abandoned uranium mines on tribal land:  

“Too many Arizonans living in rural and tribal communities have suffered serious health effects stemming from uranium mining and radiation exposure over time. We must protect the health and safety of future generations of Navajo families,” said Senator Kelly. “I am glad to see the EPA providing this assistance, and with our recently signed bipartisan infrastructure law, Arizona’s tribal nations can soon expect to see even more investments in uranium mine clean up.” 

Funds from the EPA will provide technical support on cleanup plans, inspect abandoned uranium mines, assist EPA in removing contaminated soil, continue staff training on Superfund laws and share technical information with EPA and Navajo Nation EPA. 

Kelly was part of the bipartisan group of Senators who wrote and negotiated the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which was signed into law this month. Kelly worked on the superfunds and brownfields working group, where he advocated for $3.5 billion for the EPA’s Hazardous Substance Superfund and $1.5 billion for the Brownfields program to help states, tribes, and localities assess, safely clean up, and sustainably reuse contaminated properties. You can read more here.