The Dirty Secrets: Whales, the Grand Canyon and War Criminals

Hualapai camped to defend their ceremonial spring Ha Kam'we, south of the Grand Canyon, said Thursday evening, "Navajo Transitional Energy Company is making its way out." A lithium mine planned by the Australian company Hawkstone Mining is now halted by a restraining order granted by Federal Judge Diane Humetewa, Hopi, in Phoenix. The Australian company hired the Navajo Nation enterprise, Navajo Transitional Energy Company, to operate the lithium mine at Hualapai's Ceremonial Place.

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Nov. 22, 2024

People who travel the world will tell you two things that they really love: Whales and the Grand Canyon.

The majestic Orca whales are now at risk from the massive oil tankers departing the shores of British Columbia with thick crude oil from Alberta tar sands in Canada, bound for distant refineries and ports.

Meanwhile, in the heart of the Southwest, the Grand Canyon, loved by the people of the world, now has a uranium mine spewing radioactive dust into the air, and endangering Havasupai's aquifer and future generations.

Neither the Appeals Court in Canada, nor the U.S. EPA and Interior have done anything to stop these assaults on the most beloved natural wonders in the world, whales and the Grand Canyon.

Rueben George, səlilwətaɬ, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, remembers the long fight to halt the Trans Mountain Pipeline, now carrying crude oil from Alberta tar sands to the Salish Sea, which flows off the shores of British Columbia and Washington State to the Pacific.

George said they thought they were winning their case in Canada's Appeal Court.

"They said you're right it's going to kill all the Orca whales, you're right -- but we're going to build it anyway," George said at the Salish Sea Assembly in Seattle in November.

The uranium mine in the Grand Canyon is now spraying radioactive dust on Havasupai's medicine plants, and into the air for the world's travelers to breathe. The uranium mine, operated by Energy Fuels of Canada, threatens the aquifer of Havasupai and future generations.

The mine's radioactive truck transport is a deadly risk for Supai, Paiute, Dine', Hopi and Ute on the haul route. The radioactive ore is transported by truck to the Energy Fuels mill in the White Mesa Ute community in southeastern Utah.

Interior's Deb Haaland, who is Laguna Pueblo and Norwegian, has not only failed to halt the deadly risks and destruction, but has proclaimed that the atomic bomb industry, Los Alamos National Laboratory, will lead the green "energy transition."

Los Alamos Labs produces nuclear weapons and is already poisoning the Pueblo homelands in northern New Mexico with radiation. A federal judge recently halted the push to produce and store more plutonium at the site, citing a risk to the environment.

O'odham women in Gila River Indian Community protested the recent rally of Biden and Haaland in Arizona, held just before the political elections. While Biden claimed to be apologizing for the abuse of Native children in boarding schools, O'odham women held Biden responsible for genocide in Gaza.

As Biden spoke, an O'odham woman held up this sign: "There Are Still Babies in Mass Graves. Your Apology Means Nothing!! Land Back."

Calling out to Biden, an O'odham woman yelled, "What about the people in Gaza! What about the people in Palestine! How can you apologize for a genocide while actively committing a genocide in Palestine! Free Palestine!"

Hualapai are camped at their ceremonial place to protect it from the lithium mine.

The Navajo Transitional Energy Company, an enterprise of the Navajo Nation, was hired by Australia's Hawkstone Energy to operate the planned lithium mine on Hualapai's land.

The Navajo government's enterprise based in the bordertown of Farmington, New Mexico is labeled transitional energy, but it owns and operates coal mines in Wyoming and Montana, a fact seldom made public.

One of the smaller of Arizona's 22 Indian Nations, the Hualapai Tribe filed a federal lawsuit against Interior Sec. Deb Haaland to protect their sacred spring where they have held their ceremonies since time immemorial in central Arizona.

U.S. Federal Judge Diane Humetewa, Hopi, granted a restraining order to halt the operation while the case proceeds in court.

Today, the news comes that Nez Perce's struggle to recover from deadly gold mining, and recover their salmon in their rivers in Idaho, is targeted again with new mining for gold, silver and war minerals.

Nez Perce, Idaho -- Government snipers lined the hills above Idaho’s Rapid River in  the summer of 1980, five years after the last Lower Snake River dam opened. The snipers were called in response to Nez Perce families fishing for salmon within the Nez Perce National Forest. It was a key moment in the Nez Perce fight to uphold fishing rights, as salmon run numbers declined. -- Northwest Public Broadcasting

Mining for War Minerals: Poisoning Nez Perce Salmon

In breaking news, Nez Perce and their salmon are endangered by mining for war minerals.

Nez Perce have been struggling to recover their salmon in their rivers in Idaho, poisoned by long term gold mining. Now, the U.S. government is pushing more gold and silver mining and mining for war metals.

“At the scale of what they’re doing, we have no choice but to oppose the project in its entirety," said Emmit Taylor Jr," said Nez Perce fisheries watershed deputy director. 

Perpetua Resources CEO Jon Cherry said they want to develop an open pit mining operation not only for gold but for silver and another rare element antimony.

"The military uses it in a lot of munition products," he said. "But much broader use includes flame retardants, night vision goggles, semiconductors.” 

Stibnite is the only site in the U.S. with military-grade antimony readily available, which essentially means high quality, reports KTVB.

 https://www.ktvb.com/article/tech/science/environment/proposed-mining-operation-central-idaho-could-strengthen-national-security/277-21c41cce-f147-462e-80e8-191444af9d2f

The South Fork Salmon River watershed is within the Nez Perce Tribe's aboriginal territory. Nez Perce, who hold treaty-reserved hunting, fishing, gathering, and pasturing rights, are working to increase the number of endangered Chinook salmon Nacò and steelhead Hey-ey.

The East Fork South Fork Salmon River have elevated levels of heavy metals, notably arsenic and mercury from longterm mining at the Project site. The metals concentrations in the river currently exceed health standards.

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