THE ROLE OF INDIAN TRIBES IN AMERICA’S NUCLEAR FUTURE

Indian tribes have voiced their tribal issues in the United States‘ nuclear effort since its
inception, with the siting of what would become Los Alamos National Laboratory adjacent to the
San Ildefonso Pueblo Reservation and the Hanford plutonium production works along waterways
shared with the Yakama Nation and other Indian tribes. The siting of a proposed repository at
Yucca Mountain, Nevada along with other activities conducted on the Nevada National Security
Site (NNSS) (formerly the Nevada Test Site), increased the need for the United States
Department of Energy (DOE) to address previously unidentified tribal concerns. Initially there
was little attention given to these indigenous nations except when these federal installations
needed some resource that a tribe possessed, such as a domestic water supply or construction
materials. Today, these Indian tribes are partners with the states that host DOE facilities in
working groups that assist the DOE in making nuclear policy. This White Paper focuses on the
modern role of Indian tribes in national policy-making concerning America‘s nuclear future and
its potential to affect Indian tribes, tribal resources or people.