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Stop the International Uranium Corporation's White Mesa Uranium Mill What You Can Do Contact the government agencies and let them know you:
Richard A. Meserve, Chairman Dianne R. Nielson, Ph.D.
See also : Zephyr Newspaper Coverage: Around the Bend Again
For more information, contact:
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Protect Health, the Environment and Native Sacred Sites A Radioactive Waste Mill and Dump Endangering Health, Polluting Southern Utah, & Desecrating Sacred Indian Land International Uranium Corporation's White Mesa Uranium Mill is located directly next to the White Mesa Ute Reservation, and about five miles south of Blanding in the southeast corner of Utah. The mill is located on 3840 acres (nearly six square miles). The surrounding lands are mostly Native and federally managed public lands, and the region is the traditional territory of the Ute and Navajo peoples. This facility has become a dumping ground for dangerous radioactive wastes shipped here from around the country. Dumping on Sacred Land The 500-acre mill site was
built on lands sacred to Ute and Navajo peoples, directly on top of
ancient burial sites. Over 100 archaeological sites are known on the
mill property, including sacred ceremonial kivas and ancient burial
grounds. White Mesa Ute tribal members practice traditional gathering
and hunting in the area, and are worried about the effects of the mill's
pollution on the medicinal herbs, plants and animals of the area. The
Native American Peoples Historical Foundation's "Great Avikan House"
land, purchased in 1990, sits on sacred Indian lands just north of the
Mill property. This is an historical and cultural preservation project
that was instigated after the announcement of the "final closure"
of the White Mesa Mill. The use of the sacred land of White Mesa to
process the wastes of others is a continuing assault on Native traditions
and spirituality and represents a clear instance of environmental racism. Threat to Community Health The White Mesa mill poses a danger to human health and the environment at every stage of its operation. The mill refines uranium out of various types of radioactive rock, soil, or sludge and stores massive amounts of radioactive waste on site. With the complicity of federal and state agencies, this facility has become a de facto radioactive waste dump. Radioactive waste is transported long distances to the site; much of it passes through the towns of Moab, Monticello and Blanding, creating a serious risk for residents. Processing the waste for its uranium content uses large quantities of toxic chemicals, including strong acids, ammonia, and organic solvents. The mill emits dangerous toxic pollutants into the air every year, including 62 tons of sulfur dioxide, 109 tons of nitrogen oxides, and 254 tons of particulates. Even radioactive wastes from atomic bomb manufacture have been sent to the site. Radioactive material is left in giant piles around the uranium plant, blowing into the surrounding communities with the strong winds common in the area. These emissions put people living near the mill - including residents of Blanding and the White Mesa Ute Reservation - at risk for respiratory illness and cancer. Also, the non-uranium by-products of IUC's operations contain heavy metals, trace radioactivity, and other toxics, which are permanently dumped on site. What happens at the mill? The mill was constructed in 1979 to process ores from the many uranium mines in the region. However, since 1987 the mill has focused on reprocessing various types of radioactive wastes, including rock, soil, and sludge. Typically the mill stores several hundred thousand cubic yards of radioactive waste awaiting processing. At times, however, the site has functioned as a de facto radioactive waste dump, storing up to one million tons of contaminated materials on site. Uranium is processed out of this radioactive waste through a process involving hazardous chemicals, including acids, organic solvents, and ammonia. The now-solid uranium, or 'yellowcake' is separated, dried, and packaged into 55-gallon drums for shipment elsewhere. The remaining sand, rock, and liquid from the refining process are dumped in one of four 'tailings ponds'. The tailings ponds contain highly toxic materials such as lead, uranium and sulfuric acid, so in reality they are unlicensed hazardous waste dumps. International Uranium's operations in the area also pose a threat to local groundwater. The plant was cited in 1999 for contaminating the groundwater below the plant with chloroform - despite the company's insistence that groundwater contamination was impossible. With thousands of tons of radioactive waste processed every day at the mill, the question is not whether the groundwater will be further contaminated with radioactivity, but when. Regulatory Complicity With Pollution Regulators at State and Federal levels have offered lots of help to IUC: IUC's web site brags that all of its ten requests for amendments to its NRC license have been accepted, allowing the mill to accept and store many types of radioactive and toxic wastes from around the nation. The State of Utah has licensed the air pollution emitted by the plant, and government agencies refuse to enforce State and Federal laws for the protection of Native cultural resources such as burials and archaeological sites. Monitoring of groundwater by the state is sporadic and unsystematic. |