The process that will be used to recover uranium from the proposed Slick Rock Canyon mine is milling,which
<br /> would be conducted at the nearby White Mesa Uranium Mill. Milling uses alkali and acid washes to isolate the
<br /> uranium.Besides chemicals used in washes,the toxic tailings contain sulfide ores,molybdenum,selenium,
<br /> arsenic,and mercury,and approximately 85%of the radioactivity of the original ore(NIH 2O23). Regardless of
<br /> how uranium is removed from rock,the extraction process creates both mining waste and mill tailings,
<br /> radioactive wastes that can contaminate soil,air and water(EPA 2023).These contaminants can then move
<br /> into and poison plants and animals including humans.
<br /> Exploratory drilling, mining and milling processes will both deplete Dolores River water and threaten to pollute
<br /> rivers and the life that they support.Although uranium is widespread in the earth's crust,and whenever aquifer
<br /> and bedrock interface,there might be some uranium in the water,exploratory drilling or mining increases
<br /> exposure of water to potential contamination(NIH 2O23).
<br /> 2.The Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has long protested the White Mesa Uranium Mill Because of the potential
<br /> dangers of radioactive uranium and the on-site waste containment cells from the milling process.The White
<br /> Mesa Mill's sprawling waste pits,which spread across about 275 acres and contain more than 700 million
<br /> pounds of radioactive materials from contaminated sites across the country and the world,sit just a few miles
<br /> from the White Mesa community(GCT 1,2022).
<br /> White Mesa community members,tribal leaders,and the tribe's environmental department are concerned that
<br /> radioactive contamination from the mill could put public health,water,and air quality at risk.The community's
<br /> drinking water aquifer is located deep beneath the mill's waste pits.At a spiritual walk(GCT 2,2022)opposing
<br /> the mill on October 22,2022, Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council Member Conrad Jacket told the crowd
<br /> assembled outside the community center."Red,white, blue...I don't give a care what color you are, if water
<br /> gets contaminated,then that's the end..."(GCT 2,2022).
<br /> 3. Uranium possesses both chemical toxicity and radioactivity.The effects of low-level radioactivity include
<br /> cancer,shortening of life,and subtle changes in fertility or viability of offspring,as determined from both animal
<br /> studies and data on Hiroshima and Chernobyl survivors.These effects can be delayed for decades or for
<br /> generations and are not detected in short-term toxicologic studies(NIH 2O23).
<br /> The Sierra Club's opposition to the issuance of an exploratory drilling permit are due to both health and
<br /> environmental concerns about uranium mining including: 1)health and safety of miners and mine sites;2)
<br /> health and safety of people in the vicinity who might be affected by spread of radioactivity from the tailings or
<br /> tailings ponds;and 3)environmental effects of increasing background radiation and water contamination.
<br /> Contamination from uranium mining activity will persist for generations.The dust that blows away from the sites
<br /> and the copious amounts of water used for dust control and uranium extraction all contain long-lived
<br /> radioisotopes that are being disseminated into the environment. In the tailings,thorium 230 decays to produce
<br /> radon gas.With a half-life of 76 000 years, it will produce radon for millennia. In the atmosphere,radon decays
<br /> into the radioactive solids polonium, bismuth,and lead,which enter water,crops,trees,soil,and animals,
<br /> including humans(NIH 2O23).
<br /> 4.A recent analysis of biodiversity values across the unprotected public lands in Colorado found 71 areas on
<br /> unprotected federal public lands in Colorado containing high biodiversity values;of those 71 areas,the public
<br /> lands within the Dolores River Canyon Country represent the largest and most biologically diverse unprotected
<br /> publicly-owned landscape in Colorado(Figure 1)(CSP 2023).
<br /> All phases of uranium development—exploration, mining and milling—can pose unique threats to species,
<br /> ecosystems,and human communities. From habitat destruction and disruption of wildlife to bio-accumulation
<br /> and irreversible pollution of waters, uranium exploration and mining threatens to build upon uranium's legacy of
<br /> environmental and social harm. Disturbance of the land surface by mining,the temporary storage of ores and
<br /> mining and processing wastes on-site,dewatering of mine workings/pits,and a variety of reclamation activities
<br /> all have the potential to significantly affect the concentrations and loads of dissolved and suspended materials
<br /> in surface water off-site(NIH 2O11). Pollutants from the mining of uranium can contaminate aquatic
<br /> ecosystems for hundreds of years,threatening downstream communities and fish and wildlife. Even small
<br /> amounts of some pollutants can poison fish,accumulate in the food chain,and cause deformities and
<br /> reproductive problems for aquatic species.
<br /> Figure 1. Of the ten largest unprotected biodiversity hotspots in Colorado,two of them are found in the Dolores
<br /> River Canyon Country.SOURCE:Suraci,J., Farwell, L., Littlefield,C., Freeman, P.,Zachmann, L., Landau,V.,
<br /> Anderson,J., Dickson, B.2023.Achieving conservation targets by jointly addressing climate change and
<br /> biodiversity loss. Ecosphere. https://doi.org/l0.1002/ecs2.4490
<br /> Uranium mining has widespread effects,contaminating the environment with radioactive dust, radon gas,water-
<br /> borne toxins,and increased levels of background radiation.There are no boundaries for air and water;the
<br /> addition of long-lived radioisotopes anywhere in the environment eventually affects the health of everyone.
<br /> If permitted,this development would threaten both human culture and natural resources in both the
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