Slaying the Monster To slay the monster, to provide healing from disease and death, the Navajos say one must restore nature's balance and harmony. The scars on the land remain. There are over 1,100 abandoned mines in the Navajo Nation alone. The Navajo Abandoned Mine Lands Department has reclaimed 441 mines to date, and the work continues. The Laguna Pueblo and its Laguna Construction Company reclaimed the Jackpile mine with funds supplied by the mining corporations.
Many sites remain open, accessible, and deadly.
In 1992, the Navajo Nation president issued an executive order to reiterate the moratorium on uranium mining activity. Leetso, the yellow monster, is again raising his head. An operation to mine uranium in situ by leaching with an alkaline solution has been proposed in the Crownpoint and Church Rock communities in New Mexico. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission requires that the mining company file an approved financial assurance plan to ensure cleanup of the mining site prior to commencing operation, which has effectively halted the project. We do not yet know.