#ToxicAir Resulted in #Cancer for #Navajo, #Apache and #WesternShoshone

#Copper and Gold #Mining, and #Coal-Fired Power Plants, Resulted in Cancer for Navajo, Apache, and Western #Shoshone

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, September 4, 2023

"A copper smelter poisoning the air of Apaches, the coal-fired power plants on the #NavajoNation, and gold mining on Western Shoshone land, are among the top causes of cancer from #AirPollution in the United States, according to a new report, Poison in the Air, by #ProPublica.

"The #FreeportMcMoran copper smelter in #MiamiArizona -- located between the #SanCarlos #ApacheNation, and Apaches Sacred #OakFlat -- is the third in the United States for producing toxic air pollution causing cancer. The poison air means the central Arizona community of Miami has ten times the EPA's acceptable risk of cancer. Apaches are now in federal court battling both the mining industry, and the #BidenAdministration to stop another #CopperMine nearby at Oak Flat which would destroy their ceremonial place."

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/09/toxic-air-resulted-in-cancer-for-navajo.html

#EnvironmentalRacism #ToxicAir #Mining #IndigenousNews #SaveOakFlat #NativeAmericanNews

our team interviewed Elvida Crutcher, an #elder and citizen of the Fort McDermitt #Paiute and #Shoshone Tribe. She recounts how decades of open-pit mercury #mining has poisoned the air, water, lands, and health of her relatives.

#airpollution #waterpollution

3/10

https://lakotalaw.org/resources/poisonous-mining-without-tribal-consent/?ms=ea&utm_source=ea&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nvli&utm_content=piclink&sourceid=1059582&contactdata=+setg2Bv9GkgKK+DLBua9osRfQWpyCbsr8aaOY8ZWzna9dtQBQVsF6FH6rlGE+mkMgd0w8fEacICcB0OvEpcGpoyHoLoxvr4H%2f8p9Mc0MSSsxvGLuFhnIXWt+fCmUJHOG0kQcLBsi1bdDOvaE2bBlxHLiS71DJfxB6ZYI+FuUJZIjjeihbC4T4NEmvuKup2fZbog8hUNIX5ux4zeVnV+d7m%2foI41RO%2fa70yuvso+tgA%3d&rac=%2cdvcc%2cmmbr%2clpnl&emci=c090ac6a-7947-ee11-a3f1-00224832eb73&emdi=58ef01d3-9447-ee11-a3f1-00224832eb73&ceid=9521138

#ThackerPass #protesters seek dismissal of lawsuit by #LithiumNevada on #freespeech grounds

By: Bob Conrad, August 23, 2023

"The Thacker Pass protesters who were hit with a lawsuit filed by Lithium Nevada are seeking to get the case dismissed. The defendants last week filed a motion to dismiss the case claiming they were exercising their right to free speech.

"Lithium Nevada, which is building the Thacker Pass lithium mine, sued the protesters in late June.

"The company said activists and members of the Fort McDermitt Paiute #Shoshone Tribe have attempted to block construction at the mine site.

"'Despite multiple warnings from law enforcement not to block public roads, Defendants have continued to do so,' the lawsuit alleges. 'Indeed, Defendants have proudly broadcasted their defiance of law enforcement on social media.

"The defendants disagreed with Lithium Nevada’s claims.

"'The Defendants opted to exercise their constitutional rights and went to the Mine site to pray for their ancestors as #LNC destroyed those ancestors’ final resting places, destroyed culturally significant lands formerly used for subsistence and self-preservation,' they wrote in their motion. 'It is appropriate to analyze whether LNC has established the elements of its claims for relief within the limitations imposed by the First Amendment.'

"They also disputed LNC’s claims of violence and vandalism.

"'As a #sacred site is being bulldozed, non-violent protesters are being criminalized by a foreign mining company,' said attorney Terry Lodge, representing the defendants. 'My clients were engaged in #protest that is clearly protected by the U.S. Constitution. This is #corporate greed and bullying.'"

https://thisisreno.com/2023/08/thacker-pass-protesters-seek-dismissal-of-lawsuit-by-lithium-nevada-on-free-speech-grounds/

#CorporateGreen #ProtectThackerPass #CulturalGenocide #EnvironmentalRacism #protesters #Pauite

#Paiute and #Shoshone #elders have asked for supporters from far and wide to come take part in an ongoing #ceremony of protection for those #waters and #lands.

Our #NativeVoices just haven’t been heard, and that’s a big problem. The project has undergone several stages of permitting and regulatory processes before it can begin full-scale mining operations. These processes are essential to addressing environmental and societal impacts and complying with local regulations.

9/20

Since its inception, the project has faced opposition from environmental and Indigenous groups. These concerns relate mainly to #water usage, potential impact on local #ecosystems, and the preservation of #CulturalSites. At the very heart of the Thacker Pass issue is the safety and protection of this place as a #SacredSite, a resting place of #Paiute and #Shoshone #ancestors who were #massacred.

7/20

https://www.rgj.com/story/news/2023/05/12/peaceful-protest-staged-at-thacker-pass-to-halt-construction-of-lithium-mine/70209492007/

THACKER PASS AND THE UGLY TRADITION OF EXTRACTION WITHOUT INDIGENOUS PERMISSION

By Tokata Iron Eyes

Peehee mu'huh (or #ThackerPass, as it’s known in English), a sensitive wilderness area located in what is now called #HumboldtCounty, #Nevada, sits on the ancestral homelands of the #Paiute and #Shoshone peoples. Right now, these lands are threatened by a #lithium mining project being developed by a company called #LithiumNevada, a subsidiary of #LithiumAmericasCorp .

1/20

or will we allow the same tactics deployed by the fossil fuel industry for generations to sully our transition to #GreenTechnology?

We believe we must stand in solidarity with the #Paiute and #Shoshone peoples of #Nevada in their fight to keep #BigGreenExtraction honest. Let's make #ElonMusk and other green #entrepreneurs respect #IndigenousSovereignty.

2/5

and enlisting local law enforcement to keep prayerful protests away. Meanwhile, the bulldozers keep running roughshod over sacred grounds where the bones of #Paiute, #Shoshone, and #Washoe ancestors lie.

It's that part — the failure to acknowledge the terrible things that happened at #PeeheeMu'Huh more than a century and a half ago and properly account for them in the mine's review process — which rests at the heart of the #lawsuit brought by three #NevadaTribes.

3/6

Resistência a um projeto de mina de lítio em Peehee Mu'huh, na chamada Nevada, incêndios florestais, ondas de calor, inundações e uma apreensão indígena de navios petroleiros no Peru neste episódio ambiental especial de Falha de Sistema.

https://kolektiva.media/w/asNrMZAUMZ2FHAeW8YxSTM

#OxSam #DefendTheSacred #ProtectThackerPass #ÁguaÉVida #retomada #indígena #Paiute #Shoshone #Achuar #Wampis #Peru #CarroElétrico #LithiumMining #TerrasRatas #Tesla #ambientalismo #MudançasClimáticas #sustentabilidade #JustiçaClimática

@sambutlerUS @cldc @Katiame Were you able to connect with a lawyer?

This request for donations and to join the protest camp was just in my feed: https://www.oxsam.org/donate

RT: https://sfba.social/@Mikal/110486665217944029

@Teri_Kanefield or @ACLU might you know someone who can help?

#Oxsam #ThackerPass #LandandWaterProtectors. #OxSamCamp #Indigenous #Paiute #Shoshone #DoreceAntonio #Environment #Climate #DirectAction #EV #EVs #Renewableenergy

#Paiute #Shoshone Court Date is Friday for Defending Massacre Site from #LithiumAmericas

May 31, 2023

Ox Sam Camp, #ThackerPass, Nevada: "I would like to ask all of you out there to kindly share this for my fellow sister warrior descendant, she stands here for her lineage through her great great grandfather Ox Sam whose family was massacred here at Thacker Pass also known as Peehee Muhu which is translated as Rotten Moon.
Due to recent events of her being served a TPO that is restricting her from accessing her Rights to her unmarked ancestral burial grounds and sacred site at Sentinel Rock by #LithiumAmerica Corporation. She now has to go back and forth to #Winnemucca 150 miles round trip where the court is being held and conducted which adds up a lot of miles and she is still looking for a Nevada attorney preferably pro indigenous rights for her legal issues filed by Lithium America a Canadian Based Corporation. So we're kindly asking you all to share these links to try and get her all the help we can do for her and to help her along as we continue to shed light and love on the current happenings at PeeHee Muhu Ox Sam Camp. (Newe Momokonee Nokutun)
Thank you for Very Much.

"The legal hearing for Dorece, Chuck, Paul, and Max is now scheduled for Friday (June 2nd) at 1:30 pm in Winnemucca. We're asking the court for an extension but it may not be granted. So that's our timeline for now. I'm not sure if supporters will be allowed in the courtroom, but if anyone wants to come out and support us feel free (although I wouldn't want to take people away from camp). For now, that's our deadline for legal representation. The situation is evolving. Thank you."

#SaveThackerPass #CulturalGenocide #IndigenousNews #EnvironmentalRacism #OxSamCamp #Frontline #Biodiversity #Solidarity #Help #Nevada #Environment #Climate #DirectAction #ProtectPeeheeMuhuh #LithiumNevada #LithiumMining #OpenPitMining #OpenPit #Mining

More at:
https://www.facebook.com/Drone.nation2017

Via Censored News:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/05/paiute-shoshone-court-date-is-friday.html

#UregentRequest for #Attorney(s) licensed in #Nevada for #LandandWaterProtectors. #OxSamCamp #Indigenous #Paiute #Shoshone #DoreceAntonio

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=114408728327248&id=100092743623424

#Paiute #Shoshone Protectors at Ox Sam Camp at #ThackerPass

By Ox Sam Camp Censored News, May 23, 2023

#NativeAmericans in #Nevada Are Praying Over Their Ancestors Graves. A Court Has Ordered Them to Leave or Be Arrested.

OROVADA, Nevada — For nearly two and a half years, local Native American tribes and leaders have been trying to stop the Thacker Pass lithium project, an open-pit mine that will destroy a sacred site. But despite lawsuits, rallies, regulatory hearings, and community organizing, Lithium Nevada Corporation has now begun construction of the mine at the place Paiutes call “Peehee Mu’huh,” or rotten moon.

"But the construction has not gone unopposed. On May 11th, Native Americans from the Fort McDermitt #Paiute-#Shoshone and other regional tribes set up a tipi at Thacker Pass and began prayers directly in the path of the construction of #LithiumNevada’s water pipeline. Groups of Native Americans and allies have blocked mine traffic from accessing portions of the construction site for over a week now."

#NativeAmericans #IndigenousNews #StopThackerPass #CulturalGenocide #ProtectPeeheeMuhuh

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/05/paiute-shoshone-elders-standing-with-ox.html

World Governments Rattled as Indigenous Expose Atrocities at the United Nations

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, April 22, 2023

"Governments from around the world are rushing to defend their #HumanRights records as #IndigenousPeoples describe the atrocities during the 22nd session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues."

#NativeAmericans #IndigenousNews #Colonialism #War #OakFlat #Russia #ReindeerHerders #CulturalGenocide #Sami #Shoshone #GreenColonialism #Brazil #NewZealand #Australia #UnitedStates #China #Mongolia #Vietnam #SouthAfrica #FirstNations #Genocide #Indonesia #Colombia

Read more:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/04/world-governments-rattled-as-indigenous.html

San Carlos Apache Nation: High Risk Jet Combat over Native Lands

by Brenda Norrell, Censored News, March 27, 2023

"High-risk jets flew combat training flights over Native lands last week. The same training jet that flew combat training missions over the Tohono O'Odham Nation last week, flew over the San Carlos #Apache Nation, and southern edge of the Whiteriver Apache Nation, on Friday morning.

"[Private training company] ATAC has a history of crashes and accidents, including those of pilots based on #Paiute #Shoshone land at Fallon Bombing Range in #Nevada."

#NativeAmericans #EnvironmentalRacism #IndigenousNews #NoWar

Construction begins on controversial lithium mine in #Nevada

Opponents say the Thacker Pass lithium project was rushed in the name of the green transition.

by Gabriela Aoun Angueira, March 3, 2023

"'It’s an important place not only because a terrible massacre occurred, but also because it’s a place where people gather, it’s a place for ceremony, for hunting,' said Michon Eben, tribal historic preservation officer for the Reno Sparks Indian Colony, a government that includes members from the the #Paiute, #Shoshone and #Washoe tribes. The colony is advocating for Peehee Mu’huh to be on the National Register of Historic Places. 'It’s really hard to be a tribal member and see our homelands destroyed,' said Eben.

"#ThackerPass also comprises thousands of acres of #sagebrush and is a nesting ground for the sage grouse and a migration corridor for pronghorn #antelope. Environmental groups including the Great Basin Resource Watch and Western Watersheds Project say the mine would cause irreversible #ecological damage, and that the project’s impact was not adequately studied.

"'It got by the environmental impact statement process in just under a year and I would expect a project of this scale and complexity to take 3 to 5 years,' said John Hadder, director of Great Basin Resource Watch. 'That’s sloppy permitting on the side of the federal government.'

"Tribes, #environmental groups and a cattle rancher are all plaintiffs in a combined case against the Bureau of Land Management, or BLM, and #LithiumNevada, a subsidiary of #LithiumAmericas. On February 6, a federal judge in Reno ruled that the BLM had complied with federal law in approving the mine, with the exception of one matter regarding waste disposal, which the judge ordered the BLM to revisit. The plaintiffs filed an appeal in the 9th Circuit and an emergency motion to block construction before the appeal hearing. The appeals court rejected the injunction and set the hearing date for June. "

https://grist.org/climate-energy/construction-begins-lithium-mine-nevada-controversial/

#PeeheeMuhuh #NotGreen #EnvironmentalRacism #NativeAmericans

Toxic train wreck in #Ohio hits close to home in #Nevada

John L. Smith. February 26th, 2023

"In Nevada, those who have devoted decades to the fight against the Department of Energy’s proposed #NuclearWaste repository at #YuccaMountain viewed the Ohio #derailment through a different lens. The recent #toxic event was the sort of #accident they had feared might happen during the transportation of high-level radioactive material across the country had the dump project moved forward.

"'Groups across the country, the people who think about nuclear waste are really worked up about [the recent derailment],' longtime Yucca Mountain opponent Judy Treichel says. 'The email is just rocketing back and forth.'

#NoNukes #WaterIsLife #EnvironmentalRacism #Shoshone

https://thenevadaindependent.com/article/toxic-train-wreck-in-ohio-hits-close-to-home-in-nevada

#YuccaMountain: Faster Water Flow Undermines Project Safety, UNR #Geologist Says

By Trina Kleist, Published July 12, 2020

"The scientists concluded the risk of a worst-case scenario — radiation released somehow into the air or getting into #groundwater — was on the order of a million-to-one. That's the figure in the licensing application now before the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"Such an event likely would take thousands of years to occur, said licensed nuclear engineer Charlotta Sanders. She is an associate research professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and formerly an engineering specialist and group supervisor on the project.

"But this latest paper calls that early research on risk into question. The author, geologist Scott Tyler of the University of Nevada, Reno, said water movement models used to calculate those risks are out of date. Measurements taken since then show water is moving much faster than earlier estimates had calculated. The public deserves to feel confident the project would work as designed, he added.

"'Yucca Mountain could easily show some contamination in a very short period of time,' added Tyler, perhaps within 100 years.

"Tyler reviewed research by dozens of scientists published over the past 25 years. He found that many surprises have popped up regarding water movement within Yucca Mountain. His conclusions were published in January in the journal Geosciences.

"'There are so many loose threads,' Tyler said of research at the site. 'You pull any one and it stops the repository because there are enough uncertainties and questions.'"

#Shoshone #EnvironmentalRacism #WaterIsLife #NoNukes #Nuclear #NuclearWaste #NativeAmericans

https://www.kunr.org/energy-and-environment/2020-07-12/yucca-mountain-faster-water-flow-undermines-project-safety-unr-geologist-says

Background: Environmental Justice Case Study: The #YuccaMountain High-Level #Nuclear Waste Repository and the Western #Shoshone

"The U.S. government has set aside an area of the Western Shoshone Nation, Yucca Mountain, as a final repository for high level nuclear waste from the U.S. nuclear industry. At present, the Department of Energy (DOE) is conducting a scientific investigation of the site that will cost $63 billion and will allow for the repository to be opened by the year 2010.

"Although they are still investigating the area, the DOE is no longer looking for a site elsewhere. The tribe is extremely concerned about observed health and environmental effects on its members, but currently the federal government has not initiated or implemented any official health studies, remedies to the environmental pollution, programs for early detection of environmental disease, or disease surveillance programs.

"Authorities such as the Bureau of Land Management, Forest and Park Services, Fish and Wildlife, Atomic Energy Commission, Department of Defense, and Department of Transportation, now have control over 90% of Shoshone land. This is in direct violation of the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley, ratified by the U.S. Senate in 1866, and later upheld by President Grant in 1869, that recognizes Shoshone territorial #sovereignty. "

#NativeAmericans #RespectTheTreaties #NoNukes #NoDumping #EnvironmentalRacism

http://websites.umich.edu/~snre492/kendziuk.html

#YuccaMountain

The U.S. #nuclear establishment in industry and government has, since 1987, focused on geologically unsuitable Western Shoshone Indian land in Nevada for opening the world’s first permanent burial dump for highly radioactive nuclear waste. Yucca’s rock, fractured by earthquake activity – not to mention nuclear weapons blasts at the nearby Nevada Test Site – would allow radioactivity to massively leak out into the underground drinking water supply over time. Only by undermining public health and safety protections and weakening scientific guidelines and environmental regulations, again and again, has the nuclear establishment managed to keep the proposed Yucca dump from being disqualified from any further consideration.

#EnvironmentalRacism #Shoshone #CulturalGenocide #NativeAmericans #nuclear #nuclearwaste
https://www.nirs.org/radioactive-waste/yucca/