Native Americans in Utah are in uproar after a uranium mine near a sacred site discovered a huge cache of radioactive material.
Workers at the La Sal complex, located 32 miles outside of Moab, have returned to the mines after the facility opened, closed and reopened over the years.
With the price of uranium rising recently, production of the precious material has returned to the Bijenkorf State.
Other locations in the state include the White Mesa Mill in nearby White Mesa, both facilities owned by a company called Energy Fuels.
Ian Lange, professor of economics and business at the Colorado School of Mines, said Fox 13: ‘It’s certainly very warm, isn’t it. The prices are high.’
Nevertheless, uranium mining in the area has angered Native American tribes, especially because they believe the mine is located on an ancient burial ground.
With the price of uranium rising recently, production of the precious material has returned to the Bijenkorf State. Part of the La Sal complex can be seen here
Malcolm Lehi, the tribal government representative for White Mesa, said they are also concerned about possible pollution.
He told Fox: “If it were up to me, I would shut it down. This uranium mine will be here long after we’re gone. Does not matter what. It will remain there for thousands of years.
‘What they’re doing to Mother Earth, drilling and removing different minerals or whatever, thinking this is going to happen [make] everything is better, but it’s not.
“That’s part of climate change that takes you away from the heart of Mother Nature.”
Curtis Moore of Energy Fuels told Fox that better standards exist to protect health and the environment than in the early days of uranium mining.
Moore said, “Today we have a good understanding of what the dangers of uranium mining and uranium milling are.”
In a report last year from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, they found it was “unlikely” anyone would be harmed by the water or air in White Mesa.
Malcolm Lehi, the tribal government representative for White Mesa, said they are also concerned about possible pollution
Bill Hemphill, seen here, told Fox that the clicking of his Geiger counter was music to his ears while mining
Hemphill worked in La Sal in 1977 and his father also worked there as a uranium miner. Now his two sons work in the mine
Bill Hemphill, one of the workers at La Sal, told Fox that the clicking of his Geiger counter was music to his ears.
“If it really goes down like this, you know you have uranium in your neighborhood,” Hemphill told the outlet.
Hemphill worked in La Sal in 1977 and his father also worked there as a uranium miner. Now his two sons work in the mine.
Describing mining as a physical and intellectual challenge, he said: “Drilling. Looking for the ore, that’s the most fun.’
The uranium appears as yellow veins across the walls of the mine and must be chased with drills and explosives.
Professor Lange has attributed rising uranium prices to the development of nuclear reactors and the war in Ukraine.
Another company has announced plans to restart a mine in the town of Ticaboo, Utah, but Moore added that he believes the glory days of uranium mining are over.
The area was previously the leading source of American uranium, with production measured in millions of pounds annually after World War II.
Professor Lange has attributed rising uranium prices to the development of nuclear reactors and the war in Ukraine
Uranium is minimally radioactive, but mining it releases radioactive radon gas into the air
He said, ‘Those days are over. We will never have such an industry.’
In nearby Arizona, a uranium mine opened last year near the Grand Canyon, despite warnings that it could harm the environment and local water resources.
A 20-year law banning mining on the uranium-rich land surrounding the national park expired in 2023, allowing the Pinyon Plain Mine to open in December — about 10 miles (16 kilometers) south of the Grand Canyon’s southern rim.
The mine’s proximity to the national park has sparked opposition from environmentalists who fear that radioactive chemicals will contaminate the water and pose a health hazard to people living in the area, as well as tourists.
The Havasupai Tribe has repeatedly tried to prevent the opening of the mine, arguing that it would contaminate local groundwater and threaten cultural and spiritual religious sites.