Uranium Mining

Running Head : NUCLEAR MINING

Uranium Mining in New Mexico (Author 's Full Name (Instructor 's Full Name (Course Title (Date Submitted

Uranium Mining in New Mexico

Thesis statement : Uranium mining and milling has potential economic benefits in creating jobs in the community , and sustaining the high demands of uranium all over the world . But economic factors should not be considered alone . As many people died and suffered from illnesses and diseases of uranium mining and radiation exposure , the proposal to build a new mining company is a great issue and concern for

all community leaders and members to consider and debated upon

During the past years , nuclear power has started a debate regarding its potential benefits in the economy and as an alternative source of energy . Pro-nuclear arguments maintain that nuclear energy has less carbon intensity compared to fossil fuels which is detrimental to the environment . However , as details of true carbon analysis of nuclear energy remains unclear , the fundamental critical aspect of using nuclear energy remains to be a debate . This presents an analysis on uranium mining and milling in Crownpoint , New Mexico

In the vast Navajo Reservation , towards Crownpoint , approximately 3 ,000 people lives along the Continental Drive 100 miles northwest of Albuquerque .in the high desert of northwestern New Mexico , many Navajo communities live in isolated and scattered places . The area is surrounded by the color yellow dust of what characterized Crownpoint as a community . Uranium oxide which is highly used as a nuclear energy has been regarded as Crownpoint 's most abundant resource (Begay , 2008

Through the late 1940 's through the mid 1980 's , uranium is gathered from the place . Several mining companies already blasted and hauled truck loads of uranium in the place , and dried the mineral in piles in different areas across the American West . The Navajo tribe occupies areas over western New Mexico , Arizona , and Utah . The center of the uranium mining is located in those areas and hundreds to thousands of Navajos has worked for the mines (KRQUE News Channel 13 , 2008 . Today many abandoned mine places remain

The global production of uranium followed after several years of supplying nuclear weapon programs . Uranium is perceived as a finite resource . During the past years , the availability of uranium is limited but when further exploration led to further discovery of resources miners took the advantage of gathering the finite resources (KRQUE News Channel 13 , 2008 . However , the Crownpoint , New Mexico community has seen the consequences of uranium mining especially to the health problem emerging today . The degraded land is a result of mines closing in the area , however , as efforts to rehabilitate the area entails uranium gathering again , people are concerned for their safety (Shebala , 2008 .Exposure to radiation brought by uranium mining and milling is compensated by the government . Uranium miners before the mining areas were closed are in their 70 's and 80 's , and are continuously seeking help from local community health officers to get diagnosed and treated for...