I don't want any New Mexican to go without an opportunity to support their families.

I am a member of Laguna Pueblo, and we had a bartering economy until the early 1950s, when the uranium mine, the Jackpile Mine opened in Laguna, and it was home to the largest open-pit mine in the world, and we are still feeling the effects of that on our people.

I would love for us to explore other ways for folks to make a living.

I intend to lead a New Mexico where we take our environmental destiny into our own hands.

I highly urge this Committee to consider the extent of your responsibility to me and to every single living person affected by oil and gas extraction development on the Navajo Nation and in New Mexico.

But I also feel that the health effects that this industry is having on people's health, you can't get that back many times either.

Unfortunately, the Trump administration has decided to ignore the science and is working to weaken and repeal these rules.

I know what it is like to be poor.

So, in hindsight, would we have allowed the largest uranium mine to open on Laguna? I think that people would think twice about that.

Thank you very much for speaking your truth.

I encourage everyone to do that.