Colorado River Native Nations Alliance Fort Mojave * Chemehuevi * Cocopah * Quechan * Colorado River Indian Tribes 500 Merriman, Needles, California 92363 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: JANUARY 29, 1998 Native American Tribes to Defend Ward Valley from Further Desecration -- Controversial Dump Would Threaten Sacred Lands, the Colorado River, and the Desert Tortoise CONTACT: Chairwoman Nora Helton and Stephen Lopez 760/629-4591, Fort Mojave Indian Tribe Molly Johnson 760/326-6267, Save Ward Valley Coalition Native American Tribes fighting against a controversial nuclear waste dump at Ward Valley vowed today to defend their sacred lands from further destruction resulting from test drilling by the state and federal governments. The Tribes have issued a CALL TO ACTION in response to an announcement published today in the federal register that the United States Department of the Interior will close off Ward Valley from the public in preparation for the tests. Native American leaders reiterated their opposition to the proposed nuclear dump that would desecrate sacred lands, destroy critical habitat for an endangered species, and threaten contamination of the Colorado River, source of water for 22 million people. "The Tribes are furious that Interior totally ignored Tribal and environmental concerns and has breached its responsibility to protect the environment and trust resources of Indian nations. We have opposed the dump since the beginning and will tolerate no further damage to Ward Valley," said Steve Lopez of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe. The tests are part of an on-going federal Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) to review the dump project. The state of California plans to bury long-lived and highly dangerous radioactive wastes, mostly from nuclear power plants, in shallow unlined trenches above an aquifer, eighteen miles from the Colorado River, and in the midst of critical habitat for the threatened desert tortoise. Dump opponents point to the many problems associated with the proposed nuclear dump. The dump contractor, US Ecology, chosen by the state of California to construct the facility has built four nuclear waste dumps -- all are leaking. Clean-up costs for a leaking dump at Ward Valley, estimated to be in excess of $500 million, would be the responsibility of the California taxpayer. A Congressional Research Service Report has concluded that from 60% to 90% of the waste slated for the desert dump would come from nuclear power reactors. A recent economic analysis by Professor F. Gregory Hayden of the University of Nebraska concluded that due to excess capacity at existing dumps a dramatic decrease of nuclear waste to be disposed of, the Ward Valley dump is not necessary. ### Save Ward Valley 107 F St. Needles, CA 92363 ph. 760/326-6267 fax 760/326-6268 http://www.shundahai.org/SWVAction.html http://earthrunner.com/savewardvalley http://www.ctaz.com/~swv1