As a closed Utah uranium mill seeks state approval to reopen, taxpayers are still paying to clean up others
As a Canadian company is working to restart one of Utah’s old uranium mills, federal officials are considering new steps toward cleaning up radioactive waste at another — showing the continuing toll of the last surge of uranium development in the state. … The BLM announced last week that Rio Algom Mining has developed a proposal to increase groundwater monitoring at the former Lisbon Valley Uranium Mill, and the agency is inviting the public to comment on the draft environmental impact assessment of the plan. … As millions of tourists drive through Moab every year to enjoy its singular redrock landscapes, they can see what looks like a construction site on the banks of the Colorado River. A sign identifies it as the “Uranium Mill Tailings Remedial Action Project,” commonly referred to as “UMTRA.” The site is another remnant of the historical uranium milling and mining that has poisoned people and places across the American Southwest.
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