MT TAYLOR CULTURAL & ENVIRONMENTAL INTEGRITY

This Senate Memorial (SM 14) expresses the New Mexico Senate's commitment to protecting Mount Taylor as a sacred cultural site and opposes uranium mining projects threatening its integrity. It directly affects Indigenous nations (including Acoma, Laguna, Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo) whose cultural practices and water sources (like the San Andres-Glorieta aquifer) are at risk from mining. Key provisions urge state and federal agencies to deny uranium mining permits within Mount Taylor's designated cultural property boundaries and call for federal reform of the 1872 Mining Act to prioritize tribal consultation. As a non-binding memorial, it does not change laws but formally states the Senate's position.