It was a historic day in December when we celebrated the
final removal of more than 10,000 tons of nuclear waste that have plagued
Sequoyah County and its citizens for decades. More than 500 semi-tractor loads
removed the dangerous substances from the former Sequoyah Fuels Corporation
site near Gore. Our Cherokee Nation Attorney General’s office and Secretary of
Natural Resources office collaborated with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s
office to undertake this immense task.
The original uranium processing plant was opened by
Kerr-McGee in 1970 and converted yellowcake uranium into fuel for nuclear
reactors. However, over the years, the plant changed several times before
General Atomics began operations as Sequoyah Fuels Corporation. Many of the
residents who live in Gore and who worked at the site over the years are
Cherokee.
Our tribal government has been involved in litigation over
the Sequoyah Fuels site since 2004. I’m proud that Cherokee Nation took the
lead in removing a risk that would have threatened our communities forever.
This would not have been possible if the tribe and state had not worked cooperatively,
presenting a united front in court to ensure removal of this material.
The removal process took 18 months and leaves the riverbed
area where the Arkansas River and Illinois River meet free of nuclear waste for
the first time in almost 50 years. Tons of radioactive waste remained at the
facility when it closed in 1993 after multiple lethal accidents. In 2004,
Cherokee Nation and the state of Oklahoma entered into a settlement agreement
that required the highest-risk waste be removed from the site. The owners of
Sequoyah Fuels Corporation announced in 2016 their intention to bury the waste
on site. Thankfully, a judge forced the company to comply with the original
agreement, clearing the way for complete removal instead.
This material is no longer a ticking time bomb on the banks
of two of our most precious natural resources – waterways along the Arkansas
and Illinois rivers. Our tribe’s natural resources remain protected, and the
41,000 residents of Sequoyah County will no longer be in harm’s way. The
radioactive waste has been transported to a disposal site in Utah, where the
uranium will be recycled and reused.
Sara Hill, Cherokee Nation’s secretary of Natural Resources,
said it best: “Decommissioning this plant was never enough to satisfy our goals
for a clean and safe environment…removal of this highly contaminated waste was
our goal all along.”
Mission accomplished. Cherokee Nation will continue to step
up, lead and forge the partnerships that will protect our citizens, families
and communities for generations.
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