Trust Mines Background and Site Updates U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 9 San Francisco, CA May 2018 The Phase 1 Trust team installs guides for conducting aerial photography of a mine. High-resolution photographs provide details of the landscape, which help reveal the extent of any contamination. The Navajo Nation negotiated with the United States to address the U.S. Atomic Energy Commissions role in developing historical uranium mining on Navajo lands. As a result, the United States and the Navajo Nation entered into two legal agreements (the Phase 1 Settlement in 2015 and the Phase 2 Settlement in 2016) that provide funds to assess and clean up 16 "priority" mines1, assess an additional 30 mines, and conduct two water studies located on the Navajo Nation. The settlement work is being done in two phases (i.e., Phase 1 and Phase 2). The Navajo Nation has selected Navajo trustees to manage the trust funds and do the work under the oversight of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency (NNEPA). Settlement Agreements Trust Mines and Trustees The Phase 1 Settlement covers detailed assessments, called Removal Site Evaluations (RSEs), at 16 "priority" mines. Phase 1 Settlement funds make up what is called the Phase 1 Trust. The Phase 1 Trustee, Sadie Hoskie, is completing RSEs to show the extent of potential mine waste contamination at 16 "priority" mine sites. Trustee Hoskie is expected to complete the work in 2018. The final RSE reports will be shared with the community. The Phase 2 Settlement covers the detailed assessments of 30 additional mines, two water studies on the Navajo Nation, and the cleanup, as needed, at the 16 "priority" mines in the Phase 1 Settlement. This settlement has two trust funds called the Phase 2 RSE Trust and the Phase 2 Priority Orphan (PO) Trust. In 2018, the Phase 2 RSE Trustee, Derrith Watchman- Moore, will conduct investigations at 13 mines in the Western AUM region and a water study at the Claim 28 mine in the Central AUM region. Trustee Watchman- Moore will assess 17 additional mines and conduct one additional water study on Navajo Nation. The Phase 2 PO Trustee has not yet been selected. Once selected, the trustee will begin work to clean up the 16 "priority" mines, as needed, that were assessed by Trustee Hoskie. 'USEPA and NNEPA prioritized 46 mines (called priority mines) out of the 523 on the Navajo Nation based on gamma radiation levels, proximity to homes and potential for water contamination identified in the preliminary assessments. The Trust Settlements are responsible for 16 of these 46 priority mines. ------- Charles Keith Charles Huskon No. 19 Mitten No. 3 Jack Daniels No. 1 Jack Daniels No. 5 Barton 3 Jack Daniels No. 4 Max Johnson No. 1 Max Johnson No. 10 Alyce Tolino No. 1 & 3 Alongo Mines Lemuel Littleman No. 3 Occurrence B Black Hair No.4 Standing Rock Section 26 Eunice Becenti Red Mesa Sweetwater Denoehotso Cameron Tachee/Blue Chinle Coalmine Canyon Cameron Nahodishgish Church Rock Haystack Indian Wells Navajo Nation - Central Abandoned Uranium Mine Region A O Nearby Chapter Houses ฎ Phase 1 Trust Mines Cyprus Amax/Western Nuclear Mines Mooin Motion Phase 2 RSE Trust Mines Tronox Settlement Mines 0 10 20 40 "xt Navajo Nation Reaion 9 GIS Center 1 * 1 1 1 am nthor Minoc 6 Phase 2 RSE Water Study Private Companies Mines All utner Mines J r sfdiso3257 April9,201s ------- What Has Been Done? The Navajo Nation Abandoned Mine Lands Reclamation Program performed activities to address physical hazards at most of the mine sites in the 1990s. The Phase 1 Trustee completed all field work for the RSEs at the 16 "priority" mines. 'I his included biological and cultural surveys, radiation scanning, aerial photography, and soil and water sampling. The Phase 1 Trustee also worked to reduce physical hazards found on sites. USEPA and NNEPA have reviewed data collected by the Phase 1 Trustee. What is Happening Now? The Phase 1 Trustee is finalizing the RSE reports, which includes analyzing the data collected during field work. USEPA and NNEPA are reviewing these RSE reports and meeting with community members to explain the work and hear concerns. Assessing soil samples at an abandoned uranium mine (NA-0928) by the Phase 1 Trust team of experts. What Happens Next? In 2018, the Phase 1 Trustee will finalize the RSE reports and the results will be shared with the community If the RSE shows that a mine poses a risk to human health and the environment, an additional study to look at options for cleaning up the mine, called Engineering Evaluation/Cost Analysis (EE/CA), will be carried out under the Phase 2 PO Trust. In 2018, the Phase 2 RSE Trustee will begin RSEs at 13 mines in the Western AUM region, and one water study at Claim 28 in the Central AUM region. Superfund Process on the Navajo Nation Assessment Decision Making Clean Up JT i .iJL 0 Access Agreements Resources Surveys Signs and Fences Removal Site Evaluation Engineering Evaluation / Cost Analysis Public Comment Period Action Memorandum Cs ii ii ii DID H -> Removal Action Community Involvement and planning for a site's future are ongoing throughout the process Coordination with the Navajo Nation government including NNEPA, Navajo AML, and the Dine Uranium Remediation Advisory Commission For More Information Linda Reeves Freyja Knapp Elsa Johnson Diane Ma lone Remedial Project Manager Remedial Project Manager Community Involvement Department Manager (Phase 1 Trust) (Phase 2 RSE Trust) Coordinator Waste Regulatory USEPA Region 9 USEPA Region 9 USEPA Region 9 Compliance Department (415) 972-3445 (415) 972-3025 (415) 947-3552 NNEPA Superfund reeves.linda@epa.gov knapp.freyja@epa.gov johnson.elsa@epa.gov (928) 871-7993 USEPA Trust Mines website: www. epa .gov/ nava j o nation - uranium-cleanup/trust-mines dmalone@navajo-nsn.gov ------- |