Committee backs memorial urging protection of Mount Taylor and opposing uranium mining

The Senate Rules Committee approved Senate Memorial 14, which affirms New Mexico's commitment to protecting Mount Taylor (designated a Traditional Cultural Property) and urges state and federal agencies to oppose uranium mining projects that tribal leaders say would harm cultural sites and water resources.

Sponsor Senator Charlie described Mount Taylor's designation as a traditional cultural property and cited the New Mexico Supreme Court's 2014 affirmation of that designation. "Mount Taylor continues to serve as a place of ceremony, pilgrimage, and prayer for tribal communities," the sponsor said.

Tribal leaders and cultural preservation officers gave in-person testimony supporting the memorial. Anne Rogers, longtime general counsel for the Pueblo of Acoma, told the committee she documented environmental damage tied to earlier uranium extraction and helped secure the TCP listing. Representatives from the Pueblos of Laguna, Acoma, Zuni, Jemez and Taos described the mountain's religious and cultural role and urged the committee to send a strong message opposing new uranium permitting within TCP boundaries.

Supporters cited risks to the San Andres-Glorieta aquifer, which tribal speakers said serves pueblos and surrounding communities, and they referenced the toxic legacy of earlier uranium mining, including contaminated groundwater and health impacts.

One speaker who registered as neutral on the record, representing uranium mining companies, said new technologies and regulatory processes had changed and noted that the Supreme Court decision stands and does not change property rights. She asked the committee to recognize existing legal balances and consultation procedures.

The committee adopted an amendment to add local governments (Cibola County Commission, City of Grants and Village of Milan) to the list of recipients who would receive the memorial. The committee then voted; the chair announced a recorded result of five in favor and three against and ordered the memorial forwarded. Supporters said the memorial seeks policy and permitting restraint and urges federal and state agencies to deny permits within TCP boundaries.

The memorial requests action by the state Land Commissioner, federal agencies and Congress, including a call to reform the General Mining Act of 1872; it also cites letters and resolutions from tribal governments and the state land commissioner opposing uranium projects on the mountain.