HM 26

This memorial (HM 26) designates February 15, 2019 as "Uranium Workers Day" in the New Mexico House of Representatives to honor uranium workers and acknowledge the lasting health and environmental impacts of uranium mining in the state. The bill recognizes that New Mexico's Grants mineral belt was once the world's most productive uranium district, employing approximately 7,000 workers at its peak in 1978, but also documents the severe consequences including hundreds of abandoned and unreclaimed mine sites and significantly elevated rates of lung cancer and other diseases among uranium miners, particularly affecting Navajo workers. By establishing this commemoration and directing copies to be sent to congressional delegates, tribal governors, and county commissioners, the memorial serves to formally acknowledge both the economic contributions of uranium workers and the ongoing health and environmental challenges their communities continue to face from historical uranium operations.