Laserfiche WebLink
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 <br /> M;--- 11-11...­4+hi.I If-AAr......;.. I if-Y,;k-'n\A11,;f-AAi .n;+.. Ci..'Ir.rn A— +hi.1If- <br />