Swedish Government Consults Scottsdale Community College Instructor

Scottsdale, AZ (August 27, 2007) ? Manuel Pino teaches sociology and American Indian studies at Scottsdale Community College, but uranium mining was foremost on his mind before he left to address Sweden?s parliament and the Minister of Environment.

A Native American from the Acoma tribe who grew up just east of Grants, N. Mex., in Acoma Pueblo, Pino was raised near the Grants mineral belt, the largest uranium ore producing area in the United States until the 1980?s. The area covers more than 400,000 acres, and is home to more than 8,000 people.

Acoma Pueblo is more popularly known as Sky City, built hundreds of years ago on top of a 357-foot sandstone mesa to help protect the Acomas from raiders. Spanish conquerors learned the hard way about this defensive stronghold when they invaded in the 1500?s. The Acomas claim that their 70-acre village is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the United States. Fewer than 50 inhabitants occupy the mesa year-round, with the other 2,800 Acomas living in nearby villages. Still, all Acomas gather on the mesa top once a year to observe their cultural and social calendar.

Long before he received his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Sociology from the University of New Mexico, Pino was conducting research on the impact uranium mining has on humans, wildlife and the environment. He saw it with his own eyes growing up on the reservation, and it drove him to learn more.

?Because of my research in this area and my personal experience, I consult with tribes and organizations that work in the extractive industries, such as mining,? said Pino, who presented Impact of the Nuclear Fuel Cycle on Indigenous People in the United States?the topic of his doctoral dissertation at the University of New Mexico?before the Swedish parliament. He also met separately with Sweden?s Minister of Environment during his visit May 18 through 27, which was sponsored and paid for by the Swedish government.

His experience and research first led him to the 2006 Indigenous World Uranium Summit, where he made a presentation of his findings on the Laguna and Acoma tribes. Representatives from Sweden happened to be in attendance, which led to this year?s Swedish government sponsored trip.

?Sweden is a big user of nuclear power, and they are looking at alternative forms of energy so they can wean themselves off it,? Pino said. ?There is social pressure there to switch to alternative forms of energy because of the human impact. They are facing some of the same issues we face in the United States.?

Before he left for Sweden, Pino said the cost of uranium was at an all-time high, and that other developing nations are looking at alternatives to nuclear power.

In addition to his work with mining firms, Pino documents environmental contamination and works with Native populations on health issues related to uranium mining. He is currently working with tribes in New Mexico, Washington, South Dakota, and Arizona, which he says have all been affected by uranium mining.

?On the Navajo nation alone there are more than 1,300 abandoned uranium mines and mills that have not been cleaned up by the federal government,? Pino said.

Acoma Pueblo?s neighbor to the east is Laguna Pueblo, and about 15 miles from where their borders meet is the Jackpile mine, North America?s largest open pit uranium mine from 1952 until 1982.

?Living in close proximity to that mine, we disproportionately suffered from the environmental impacts, such as water contamination, air quality impacts, and environmental degradation to the soil and to domestic and wild animals,? Pino said.

?The contaminants from the Jackpile mine spread throughout the landscape. It came on the wind to our grazing areas, through the jet stream and the wind and air patterns, which affected our air quality. Then the monsoons would fill the arroyos and carry the contaminants to major tributaries that seeped into the underground water table.?

Documented cancer clusters among the Navajo, Acoma and Laguna tribes eventually led to the Uranium Workers Act of 2000, designed to compensate miners for exposure to radioactive contaminants. It is actually an amendment to 1990?s Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, which held standards of exposure to such heights that former workers and their families were not eligible for compensation. Pino has worked for years helping Native miners file claims under the UWA.

A 10-year veteran of the Maricopa Community Colleges who also taught justice studies for five years at Arizona State University, Pino knows all too well the toll uranium mining takes on the environment.

?I lost my uncle in one of those cancer clusters, so it does hit home,? he said. He was able to help his uncle?s family receive $150,000 in compensation under the Uranium Workers Act.

?Something was better than nothing,? he added.

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