For the third year, Ute Mountain Utes and environmental groups held a rally and march to protest the White Mesa uranium mill south of Blanding, Utah.
The 30-year-old mill, owned by Energy Fuels, of Toronto, is the only conventional uranium mill operating in the nation. The processed uranium is sold to make fuel rods for nuclear power plants.
But the waste containment ponds that store chemicals left over in the milling process have come under scrutiny by the Ute Mountain Ute tribe. The mill is 3 miles north of tribal lands and the reservation community of White Mesa.
“We draw our water from wells, so, of course, toxic waste standing in older ponds on land nearby is a concern for us,” said Thelma Whiskers, of the group White Mesa Concerned Community. “We are marching together to raise awareness and to be noticed.”