Ute Mountain Ute Tribe raises concerns over White Mesa uranium mill waste

The White Mesa Uranium Mill, owned and operated by Energy Fuels, is the last remaining uranium mill in the United States and processes uranium-bearing materials into yellowcake, according to IC Magazine. The magazine reports that mill tailings, or liquid radioactive byproduct, are stored on-site in impoundments and “carved into land sacred to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe.”

The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has opposed the mill’s operations for two decades through coalition work, spiritual walks and protests. White Mesa Concerned Community and partner groups have called on Utah Gov. Spencer Cox “to assume responsibility and take action” on long-term radioactive waste disposal solutions. Tim Peterson, a director at the Grand Canyon Trust, was quoted as saying, “The White Mesa Mill is behaving as if it’s a low-level radioactive waste dump, and it should be regulated like one.”