Paiutes walk to raise Earth Day awareness
Members of the Moapa Band of Paiutes will stage a "cultural healing walk" beginning 8 a.m. today from their reservation near NV Energy's coal-fired Reid Gardner power plant, 50 miles northeast of Las Vegas.
The walk following a route roughly parallel with Interstate 15 and along Las Vegas Boulevard is scheduled to end at 3 p.m. Sunday at Lloyd George U.S. Courthouse where the Paiutes, other tribes and the Sierra Club will hold an Earth Day rally.
The walk's aim is to call attention to the plight of Paiutes who for generations have suffered ill health effects from the plant's pollution.
"The Reid Gardner plant threatens the Moapa Band of Paiutes and nearby residents' health by spewing life-threatening air pollutants that worsen asthma, allergies, sinus problems, ear infections, thyroid disease and heart disease," according to a news release from Band of Paiutes and the Sierra Club. "The Reid Gardner toxic coal ash pits contain a toxic stew of carcinogens and neurotoxins that have affected the health of most of the residents of this tiny community through contamination of the air, land and groundwater."
