GRANTS - Longtime Cibola County residents recall the uranium mining boom days as high paying jobs, packed bars, lots of traffic and lastly but most importantly, little regulation. On Oct. 20 agencies from the state, nation and tribes focused on some of what was left behind because of little regulation - abandoned mines and issues involving the environment, people's health and water.

John Meyer of the U.S. EPA explains his agency's five-year plan in regard to the uranium mining and milling legacy on Tuesday at the Cibola County Complex. A multi-agency effort has been formed by the EPA to assess how much the legacy has affected the environment and its people and what should be done about it. BEACON / DONALD

    The federal Environmental Protection Agency is the primary agency that is organizing the effort to gather legacy information in the Grants Mineral Belt from a variety of sources, including the public. A listening session, a first of many more to come, according to EPA Superfund Division Project Manager John Meyer of Dallas, Texas, was held at the Cibola County Complex on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.

Nearly 30 state, federal and tribal agencies are joining the EPA to assess the legacy - the damage, what should be done, who's paying for what, and other concerns.

    “There is no agency that can solve all the problems we've identified thus far,” Meyer said as he opened the meeting. “It will have to be a collaborative effort. Recently, for those that are from Cibola County, you may have seen or heard a low-flying small plane. That was part of our project. We were identifying areas, or structures, affected by the legacy, that need attention.”

    The EPA is responsible for assembling a multi-agency five-year plan.

    “Your five-year plan has been a 40-year plan to us,” said Candace Head, of the Bluewater Valley Downstream Alliance, a group that is focused on finding legacy solutions.

    Head had many specific questions in regard to the legacy. “Why is it that migratory birds do not land in the clean-up ponds at the Homestake site?” Head asked in which no specific answer was given.

Pam Avery, the facilitator of the meeting, had to remind attendees throughout the meeting, that the meeting Tuesday was very preliminary. “We want your thoughts, your ideas,” she said. “There are many other issues such as the Homestake site that is not what this meeting is focused on.”

Components of the five-year plan are: assess and remediation of contaminated residential structures; water contamination sources assessment; assessment and remediation of abandoned area mines (130, according to the EPA) in the area; assessment and long term management of mills; and assess impact to human health and the environment.

    A five-year plan is scheduled to be released in the spring of 2010, according to the EPA.

Bill Brancard of the state Mining and Minerals Division was also at the meeting. “In regard to the legacy,” Brancard said, “there are 259 uranium mines in the state, 95 percent of them are within the Grants Mineral Belt. Some have been reclaimed, some not. There are 130 mines that we have no record of reclamation.” The Grants Mineral Belt is described by the EPA as being from Prewitt on the west to Tohajillee on the east and from the Cibola/McKinley County line to the southern border of Acoma Pueblo.

    A representative of the BLM announced at the meeting that the agency has $400,000 for assessment and can possible invest $3 million the following year to actually help cleanup.

    Kelly Gallagher from the state Department of Health informed attendees that a recent study done by her department indicated that there are several spots in the state that have a high level of uranium in their water and it is affecting person's kidneys. However, only 1,000 people were tested and no one within the Grants Mineral Belt. (See next week's Beacon for more information on this study.)

    Head asked if another study can be done specifically in Cibola County and asked if the EPA could pay for it? The question raised a discussion between agencies as to how the study can be paid for.

Vernon Maldonado, a specialist from the Department of Interior's Office of Surface Mining, said he was excited to see such an influential group meeting to gather information on the legacy. “This is the first time in 30 years I have seen something like this,” he said. “All these agencies trying to address the legacy problem together is great. This is the only way something will get done because the problem is so large. At least we are doing something.”

    Maldonado went on to say that the average U.S. citizen sees the government as one entity, “But it is not,” he said. “Every agency has its own purpose and they do not work together. So, to see them, the EPA, the health department, BLM, NMED, tribal representatives, the Mining and Minerals Division, and so on… all here, to find solutions to the uranium mining legacy issue, it is great.”

    Brancard noted during his speech that local legislators Ken Martinez, David Ulibarri and Linda Lovejoy need to be recognized for raising the importance of the legacy issue. “They are the leaders that are working behind the scenes saying that something needs to be done,” he said.

A date for the next public meeting has not yet been scheduled.