Nuclear Colonialism Censored: PT 2 on Uranium Mining in the Dine’ Nation & Holtec's Nuclear Waste

American Indian Airwaves

Nuclear Colonialism is one aspect of settler colonialism that remains highly censored in the American mass and digital media landscape. With approximately 11% of all abandon uranium mines located in “Indian Country,” nuclear power plants average life-span ranging from 40 to 50 years, the promotion of nuclear power as “green energy,” the United States Department of Defense endorsing the next generation of mini-nuclear power plants (small modular reactors) to power over 800 military bases throughout the world, the allocation of $1.7 trillion to reconstitute the U.S. nuclear weaponry system; and the permanent, unresolved, and enduring issue of addressing over 60 years of nuclear waste production, Native American nations continue to be on the front lines of nuclear colonialism and future generations are at risk unless there is an immediate nuclear decolonization across Mother Earth. Nuclear Colonialism with Leona Morgan (Dine’ Nation) is a three-part interview that will broadcast over three consecutive episodes of American Indian Airwaves. The series focuses on our guest’s community work since 2007, which includes combating against many aspects of nuclear colonialism. Our guest not only helped prevent the construction of a new ISL (in situ leach) uranium mine in Eastern Navajo, but also, she has and continues to raise awareness about the extreme dangers of transporting high-level radioactive waste material by highway and railroad nearby and through “Indian Country,” as well as the continuing legacy of uranium mining and its unresolved impacts on the Dine’ people and other Indigenous peoples and nations. In addition, Leona Morgan provides an extensive update on the unresolved issue of nuclear waste and how Holtec International is proposing to construct a high-level nuclear waste facility in southeastern New Mexico despite the opposition by numerous Native American nations. Guest Leona Morgan (Tó dich’íí’nii, Tsé nahabiłnii, Kiyaa’áanii, Tó aheedlíinii; she/her) is a Diné activist and community organizer who has been fighting nuclear colonialism since 2007. Leona Morgan co-founded and works with the Nuclear Issues Study Group www.fb.com/NuclearIssuesStudyGroup), Diné No Nukes, which contributes to the Haul No! initiative (www.fb.com/HaulNo), and Radiation Monitoring Project (www.radmonitoring.org). Our guest collaborates nationally with many groups to address the entire nuclear fuel chain in the United States and is part of the international campaign Don’t Nuke The Climate (www.dont-nuke-the-climate.org) that focuses on nuclear energy as a global climate issue. Archived programs can be heard on Soundcloud at: https://soundcloud.com/burntswamp American Indian Airwaves streams on over ten podcasting platforms such as Amazon Music, Apple Podcast, Audible, Backtracks.fm, Gaana, Google Podcast, Fyyd, iHeart Media, Player.fm, Podbay.fm, Podcast Republic, SoundCloud, Spotify, Stitcher, Tunein, YouTube, and more. American Indian Airwaves is an all-volunteer collective and Native American public affairs program that broadcast weekly on KPFK FM 90.7 Los Angeles, CA, Thursdays, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm.