Poison Fire, Sacred Earth,
TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS,
THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
page 152
Suwimi Lewis
Suwimi Lewis, Laguna Nation, New Mexico, USA. Daughter
of Gloria and Greg Lewis.
Hello! My name is Suwimi Lewis and I live in the pueblo village Paguate, New Mexico. I am ten years old. I got interested in the safety of the Jackpile Mine because my schoolbus route goes directly through the mine.
This mine was once the largest open pit
and underground uranium mine in the world. It
was closed in 1982. I have lived in Paguate all
my life. I have always wondered if the mines
would ever be safe enough for my friends and I to
play in, or safe enough for our people to plant and
graze their animals there. My family and I
contacted the mines and asked if we could take a
tour. Mr. Victor Sarracino, who is a monitor
technician, gave us information about the reclamation
project that is being done at the Jack Pile Mine. The
Pueblo of Laguna formed their own construction
company to do the reclamation project
themselves. This is costing the tribe 43 million
dollars to finish. All the work that is done is kept
on computer so that technicians will know exactly
how much progress they are making. The project is ahead of
schedule as of this month. Mr. Sarracino explained
that when the low-grade ore is pushed into the
ground, 12 inches of shale and 18 inches of top,
soil is put on top. Is this enough to stop any
radiation leaks from the ground? Mr. Sarracino
explained that once the monitoring is done for ten
years it should be safe for our people to use again.
There are no future plans for any
recreation projects for the people of Paguate. I
found out that the village of Paguate has a very
big natural resource that can hopefully be
reclaimed again. Some day I hope my friends and
I will be able to use the mines and that we can
safely use the land for a good purpose. I hope the
uranium will never be mined again, this can only
destroy not only my generation but future
generations of Indian children and Mother Earth.
Thank you.