Our second episode on the critical topic of Just Transition is with Dr. Richard Luarkie, the newly named director of the Native American Mining and Energy Sovereignty initiative, or NAMES) at the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. Luarkie is a member of the Laguna Pueblo nation from central New Mexico. Talking to Dr. Luarkie helps us to take on a different perspective to the future of energy and of ourselves. He helps us think about the difference between stewardship and ownership, between a clean energy future and a not so clean energy past and about a future that is not a gift from our forefathers but is a loan from future generations. The Laguna Pueblo reservation is on the site of the Jackpile-Anaconda uranium mine that from the 1950 to the early 1980 was one of the largest sources of uranium for the US nuclear stockpile. But when it was closed down, people weren’t thinking about the environment the way we do today. "Just push some dirt over the tailings and walk away was the solution for Indian Country". Sit down and listen carefully. This is a conversation that you don’t want to miss.

References

https://www.minesnewsroom.com/news/native-american-mining-and-energy-sovereignty-initiative-receives-support-alfred-p-sloan

https://payneinstitute.mines.edu/about-old/our-story/