White Mesa Mill, owned and operated by Energy Fuels Inc. is the only commercial processing plant for uranium operating in the US. The mill’s radioactive materials license and groundwater discharge permit are currently up for renewal.
Please use our form letter below with your own comments by July 31, 2017.
Mail comments to the Utah Division of Waste Management and Radiation Control, P.O. Box 144880, Salt Lake City, UT 84114-4850.
Email comments to dwmrcpublic@utah.gov with the subject line:
“Public Comment on White Mesa RML Renewal.”
You can also copy and paste the form letter below into your email:
Dear Director Anderson,
I urge you to deny both the Radioactive Materials License (UT1900479) renewal and the Groundwater Quality Discharge Permit (Permit UGW370004) for the White Mesa Uranium Mill located on the ancestral lands of the indigenous Ute Mountain Ute nation, for the following reasons:
- The Mill adversely impacts sacred and historical lands to the Ute Mountain Ute tribe, including more than 200 rare and significant cultural and archeological sites.
- The Mill sits above the Sandstone Aquifer which provides drinking water to the surrounding communities, and if contaminated will cause irreparable harm to the groundwater.
- The Mill releases toxic radon gas and other emissions, which are harmful to public health.
- By accepting alternate feed and uranium ore from several sites around the country, the Mill creates an extreme transportation hazard that exacerbates the risk of contamination and adverse health impacts nationally.
- The amount of waste accepted and produced by the Mill creates an undue burden upon the local residents and indigenous people that will remain radioactive and dangerous for many generations.
Looking at the history of mill sites in this region, including those in Churchrock and Shiprock, New Mexico and in Tuba City and Mexican Hat, Arizona, all of which remain contaminated to this day; the Southwest suffers the impacts from these Mills decades after they operated. If White Mesa Mill is allowed to continue, the future environmental quality of this site is just as uncertain as those which are not being properly cleaned up and will continue to pose threats of environmental contamination and public health impacts.
Let’s learn from the effects of past uranium mining and milling that caused 1000’s of contaminated sites across the country and focus on preventing further contamination to our land, air, and water. Please deny the permit renewals and clean up the White Mesa Mill immediately!
Sincerely,