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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Tsosie

DATE TYPED 3/10/05

HB

SHORT TITLE Home Radioactivity Testing Funding

SB SJM 19

ANALYST Ford

APPROPRIATION

Appropriation Contained Estimated Additional Impact Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY05

FY06

FY05

FY06

NFI

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Duplicates SJM 33

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Indian Affairs (DIA)

Environment Department (NMED)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

Senate Joint Memorial 19 makes a number of findings related to uranium mining sites in New

Mexico Indian country at Shiprock and Ambrosia Lake and calls upon the New Mexico congres-

sional delegation to introduce and support legislation providing for testing and monitoring of in-

dividual homes and small business sites in a 30 mile radius of Shiprock and Ambrosia Lake ura-

nium mines. Further, the resolution requests this federal legislation to give meaningful notifica-

tion to residents of the area of eligibility for testing and remediation.

Significant Issues

According to the findings of the resolution, major uranium mining sites were active at Shiprock

and Ambrosia Lake, including small “mom and pop” uranium-related businesses. Some of these

small operations were not included in the remediation and site clean-up conducted under the fed-

eral Uranium Mill Tailings Radiation Control Act of 1978. In addition, notification to individu-

als of the remediation and site clean-up was minimal. Thus, homes and small businesses in the

Senate Joint Memorial 19 -- Page 2

area may still be contaminated, which poses significant health dangers.

The Department of Indian Affairs writes:

“Many Navajo and non-Navajo residents in the Four Corners area of New Mexico face sig-

nificant problems stemming from uranium development in the area. Exposure to uranium

and tailings may result in long term health effects such as cancer and lung disease. In fact,

during the late 1970s Navajo uranium miners and their families began to associate the cases

of lung diseases to their work in underground uranium mines in the 1940s-1960s. Medical

and environmental data confirmed this association.

“To address the concerns of uranium mines, Congress passed the Mill Tailings Radiation

Control Act of 1978 for remediation and site clean up. Then in 1990, Congress passed the

Radiation Exposure Compensation Act, providing for compensation to former miners and

their survivors who contracted certain cancers and other serious diseases as a result of their

exposure to radiation during employment in underground uranium mines during the1950 and

1960s.”

TECHNICAL ISSUES

NMED suggests that references to “mining” be replaced by “milling.”

CONFLICT, DUPLICATION, COMPANIONSHIP, RELATIONSHIP

Senate Joint Memorial 19 duplicates Senate Joint Memorial 33.

EF/rs:lg