BY MOLLY MARCELLO
The White Mesa Uranium Mill in San Juan County is seeking a new license and job contract this month through Utah’s Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The permitting process — which includes several public comment opportunities — has generated increased attention from the mill’s opponents, who claim the operation endangers the local population and the entire region.
Those closest to the mill live in White Mesa, a town of primarily Native American residents from the Ute Mountain Ute tribe located about 6 miles south of Blanding.
“Our people are starting to come forward with how they feel about the mill,” said Yolanda Badback, of the tribal activist group White Mesa Concerned Community. “... A lot of people are learning from this mill now...”