News Releases from Region 09

U.S. EPA announces contract opportunities worth $220 million for Navajo area uranium mine cleanup work

For Immediate Release: April 12, 2019

SAN FRANCISCO – Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the Navajo Area Abandoned Mines Response and Construction Services (AMRCS) contract. The contract – worth an estimated $220 million – is open for proposals exclusively from small businesses. The agency anticipates awarding multiple contracts to small businesses over a five-year period.

“The work performed under these contracts will help address the legacy of contamination in the Navajo Nation area,” said EPA Pacific Southwest Regional Administrator Mike Stoker. “By focusing this opportunity on small businesses, we hope to help boost the local economy and reduce risks.”

The AMRCS contract will provide cleanup, response and construction services to EPA at and near former uranium mine sites in the Navajo and Grants, N.M., Mining District areas. Small-business owners are encouraged to attend an informational workshop about the contract opportunities on April 16 at the Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock, Ariz., at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.  Under this contract, small businesses are defined as employing less than 750 individuals.

The Request for Proposal can be found at www.fedconnect.net in the “Public Opportunities” section by searching Reference Number 68HE0918R0014. Contract proposals will be accepted through May 28, 2019.

During the Cold War, 30 million tons of uranium ore were mined on or adjacent to the Navajo Nation, leaving 523 abandoned mines. In total, EPA has reached enforcement agreements and settlements valued at $1.7 billion to reduce the highest risks of radiation exposure to the Navajo people from abandoned uranium mines. As a result, funding is now available to assess and clean up 219 of the 523 abandoned uranium mines on and around the Navajo Nation.

For more information on EPA’s efforts to address abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation, please visit: www.epa.gov/navajo-nation-uranium-cleanup   

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