Uranium Woes on Indian Nation Lands, an Interview with Marilyn Berlin Snell

marilyn-snell.jpgHow much do we really know about the damage done to lives and property by more than 50 years of uranium mining and milling in the Navajo and Hopi Indian Nations? I didn’t know very much until I read three articles by Marilyn Berlin Snell in the Sierra Club Magazine.

Marilyn was chief editor when she wrote the stories, Power Hungry, Gathering Clouds and Frontier Justice-in a Good Way. Wanting to know more, I picked up the phone and was honored with a few moments of her time.

She is a native Arizonan, her father ran the company that operates the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station west of Phoenix, AZ. It wasn’t until she left home that she decided to have a look at the facility her father managed.

I asked Marilyn how she felt after the visit… snell.mp3

Marilyn has since left the Sierra Club staff and ventured out on her own as a free-lance journalist. She has written for several important publications including the New York Times, Mother Jones, Harper’s, and the Los Angeles Times to name a few.

The Los Angeles Times article she referred to in the interview was actually a four-part series written by Judy Pasternak. This link will take you to that page. If you’d rather read them singley at your leisure, here are the links:

They Took Shelter Amid the Poison.

Oases in Navajo Desert Contained ‘A Witches Brew’
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Navajo’s Desert Cleanup no More Than a Mirage.

Mining Firms Again Eyeing Navajo Land.

Also for your information, I found an excellent website devoted to uranium Decommissioning Projects in the United States. There is a wealth of information for those who are interested in the subject.

Finally, Marilyn referred us to projects underway at the Southwest Research and Information Center.

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