The Navajo Nation told a joint New Mexico legislative committee that it inspects every truck carrying uranium ore that passes across reservation land under a terms-of-agreement reached with Energy Fuels Resources Inc.

The agreement, signed Jan. 29, 2025, followed a six-month moratorium on shipments and allows the Nation to stop and inspect each truck as it enters and crosses the reservation. Dan, a Navajo Nation presenter, told the committee: “One of the things that we're really proud of with our agreement is we are inspecting every truck that comes through the Navajo Nation.”

Why it matters: trucks hauling natural uranium ore travel from mines in the Grand Canyon region and elsewhere to the White Mesa Mill near Bluff, Utah, the only operating conventional uranium mill in the U.S. The Nation says inspections, detector calibration sharing and a transportation emergency-response plan aim to reduce the risk that ore or contaminated dust will leave trucks in transit through tribal communities.

What the agreement requires and how it is working: Navajo officials said inspections are performed with the same radiological detection instruments the company uses; calibration records are shared so the Nation and company data are comparable. The Nation reported that a central inspection site is located near the southwestern boundary of the reservation on U.S. Highway 89, and that inspectors compare readings taken at the mine with readings taken after roughly 160 miles of transport.

Operational limits in the agreement include an on-reservation curfew (trucks may enter reservation roads after about 8:30 a.m. and must clear by 3 p.m., Navajo officials said) and no-haul days: shipments are barred on federal holidays and on additional “blackout days” the Nation can request. Officials said Energy Fuels agreed to pay the Nation both a one-time payment already received and a per-pound amount tied to ore processed; proceeds will fund inspections, staff, medical monitoring and community training.

Safety and emergency response: Navajo emergency-management officials said the company maintains emergency-response teams at the mine and at White Mesa; local first responders (county sheriff, local fire departments and Navajo Nation public-safety units) are part of an established notification chain. Navajo officials said the company commits to reaching any spill along the route within about two hours; the Nation’s own standard for on-reservation response has been five hours. Officials also said drivers carry tarps, stakes and other equipment to immediately secure material in the event of a rollover.

Traffic and community concerns: lawmakers pressed Navajo representatives about off-reservation impacts on Interstate 40 and other New Mexico roads. Navajo presenters said the Nation’s rules apply only while trucks are on reservation lands; state and federal agencies retain authority on interstate segments. Navajo and state officials said they planned to coordinate with state departments of transportation on traffic control, road impacts and possible pavement-repair needs where heavy truck traffic increases.

Other provisions and offer to take mine waste: Navajo officials said Energy Fuels offered to accept up to 10,000 tons of abandoned uranium-mine waste from the Nation for processing at White Mesa Mill. The Nation said that offer could represent millions of dollars in avoided disposal cost and that it is considering prioritization of candidate waste sites for removal.

Where things stand: shipments resumed Feb. 12, 2025, after the agreement; officials reported initial daily truck counts of two to three trucks and later rising to about 10–13 trucks per day. Inspectors reported hundreds of inspections since operations resumed; officials said only one truck so far had been turned back for safety/timing reasons after a driver medical incident. The Nation said it will track and publish inspection data and is hiring additional inspectors and outreach staff using payments from Energy Fuels.

What remains open: Navajo officials asked for continued coordination on evacuation and emergency response along the entire haul route through multiple counties and tribal communities; lawmakers asked state agencies to provide information on how off-reservation transport will be regulated and whether state rules can be strengthened. The Nation repeatedly stressed that the inspections are an exercise of the Nation’s jurisdiction on reservation roads and are not a prohibition on transport on state or federal highways.

Ending note: Navajo presenters told the committee the agreement is intended to reduce immediate transport risks, fund local monitoring and create a mechanism for the Nation to pursue mine-waste remediation while asserting the Nation’s regulatory role for trucks traveling reservation roads.