Yes.
A 2012 law passed by the Navajo Nation Council prohibits the transportation of uranium and other radioactive materials across tribal land. Exceptions include cases when uranium is being relocated for disposal, as well as for transport using state or federal highways.
In 2024, after a dispute between the Navajo Nation and a mining company that claimed to fall under the exemption, President Buu Nygren issued an executive order reiterating that Navajo officials must grant permission to move uranium across tribal land.
While no Arizona or federal laws prohibit the transport of radioactive materials, the Navajo Nation is sovereign, or self-governing, with few exceptions.
The Navajo Nation has a fraught history with uranium mining. Studies have found disproportionately high rates of uranium exposure among residents, leading to adverse health effects including reproductive issues, hypertension and cancer.
This brief responds to conversations such as this one.
The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
Sources
- Navajo Nation Council, Radioactive and Related Substances Equipment, Vehicles, Persons and Materials Transportation Act of 2012
- Navajo Nation Office of the President, Navajo President Buu Nygren issues executive order to enforce laws to ban irresponsible, unsafe transport of radioactive material across Navajo Nation
- Environmental Protection Agency, Navajo Nation: Cleaning Up Abandoned Uranium Mines
- Library of Congress, American Indian Law: A Beginner’s Guide
- Associated Press, Navajo Nation plans to test limit of tribal law preventing transportation of uranium on its land
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The Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting is partnering with Gigafact to produce timely fact briefs, or quick-response fact checks, about trending claims relating to Arizona.
